The Umbrella of Power: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Contradiction of U.S. Policy (Open Media Pamphlet)

Chomsky, Noam

ISBN 10: 1888363851 / ISBN 13: 9781888363852

Published by Seven Stories Press, 1999

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Umbrella of Power: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Contradiction of U.S. Policy (Open Media Pamphlet)
• Publisher: Seven Stories Press
• Publication Date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1888363851
• ISBN 13: 9781888363852
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

Chomsky observes the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a''Path to a Better World,'' while chronicling how far off the trail the United States is with respect to actual political practice and conduct. Analysing the contradictions of U.S. power while illustrating the real progress won by sustained popular struggle, Chomsky cuts through official political rhetoric to examine how the United States not only violates the UD, but at times uses it as a weapon to weild against designated enemies

Review

The United States government often invokes a moral imperative to honor human rights as justification for its foreign-policy decisions. But, according to Noam Chomsky, America's actual track record falls far short of the principles iterated in 1948's Universal Declaration of Human Rights--the accepted international standard. This slim but passionate volume lists case after case in which the United States has provided aid to grossly abusive regimes--among which Chomsky includes Israel and Indonesia--and examples of how the American government seeks to limit the human rights of its own citizens. With equal criticism for Democrat and Republican administrations, The Umbrella of U.S. Power refuses to remain silent about "the things it 'wouldn't do' to mention" as it works to expose the contradictions between what government leaders tell their people and what they actually do. --Ron Hogan