In 9-11, published in November 2001 and arguably the single most
influential post 9-11 book, internationally renowned thinker Noam
Chomsky bridged the information gap around the World Trade Center
attacks, cutting through the tangle of political opportunism, expedient
patriotism, and general conformity that choked off American discourse in
the months immediately following. Chomsky placed the attacks in context,
marshaling his deep and nuanced knowledge of American foreign policy to
trace the history of American political aggression--in the Middle East
and throughout Latin America as well as in Indonesia, in Afghanistan, in
India and Pakistan--at the same time warning against America's
increasing reliance on military rhetoric and violence in its response to
the attacks, and making the critical point that the mainstream media and
public intellectuals were failing to make: any escalation of violence as
a response to violence will inevitably lead to further, and bloodier,
attacks on innocents in America and around the world. This new edition
of 9-11, published on the tenth anniversary of the attacks and featuring
a new preface by Chomsky, reminds us that today, just as much as ten
years ago, information and clarity remain our most valuable tools in the
struggle to prevent future violence against the innocent, both at home
and abroad.
