Chomsky recently wrote in a Z Magazine forum
"... I think it is also useful to bear in mind the Clinton strategic document called "Essentials of Post-Cold War Deterrence" that's quoted in an article of mine in Z a year ago on "Rogue States," the same one Steve Shalom reviewed in more detail in a recent post. It advocates that the US portray itself as "irrational and vindictive if its vital interests are attacked," "part of the national persona we project to all adversaries": "It hurts to portray ourselves as too fully rational and cool-headed," and surely not subordinate to treaty obligations or conditions of world order. "The fact that some elements" of the US government "may appear to be potentially `out of control' can be beneficial to creating and reinforcing fears and doubts within the minds of an adversary's decision makers..."
His "Rogue States" article (Z Magazine, April 1998) is at <http://www.zmag.org/ZMag/articles/chomskyapr98.htm>.
--C. G. Estabrook
On Sun, 18 Apr 1999, Tavia wrote:
> Someone posted comments from Noam Chomsky (from ZNet I think) in which he
> mentioned an official Clinton foreign policy document arguing that US
> strategy should appear to be as vindictive and irrational as possible in
> order to scare other countries into doing our bidding. Does anyone have the
> full text of this document, or relevant parts? To me, it is sort of a
> smoking gun, at least when it comes to arguing with my lefty friends who
> say that, since Serbia doesn't have oil, like Iraq, there is no economic
> interest for our intervention and therefore it *must* be humanitarian. I
> would like to be able to produce quotes demonstrating a third alternative:
> a substantial portion of US foreign policy derives its justification from
> the simple need to have the biggest dick in the international community.
>
> Tavia
>
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>