The renowned intellectual activist visited Liverpool for the first annual peace conference organised by the University of Liverpool. I went to listen to listen to the views of the thinking man but due my busy academic schedules I did not have time to post the lecture note. In tht day many people arrived in the lectue hall including the green party, Respect party, the stop the war coalition and many others offering people leaflets on political views sometimes not covered by the media. I was wandering how can we replicate such a democractic culture in Gambia and Africa at Large.
The lecture theatre was full, not an empty seat to be seen, and as Chomsky came on stage the crowd cheered louder than teens at a pop concert. Chomsky at the centre of debate surrounding US foreign policy within minutes of speaking was dismantling the Bush Government's work to make the world think they are fighting terrorism for humanitarian reasons and, describing them as arrogant. He said that they were willing to antagonise entire nations, putting Americans at risk, to secure power.He backed up his argument by explaining the hypocrisy of a government who declar war on Iraq knowing it would spark terrorist attacks and funding conflicting projects to secure world domination.
''They know that a terrorist attack could kill thousands of American but that's not important in comparison with establishing and securing military bases in huge oil resources,'' he said. '' And right in the centre of a world major energy resource. That's really important. He described the treasury department in the US that monitors suspicious transfers of currency to back up his argument. ''Four officials work on monitoring finances of Al Qaeda,'', he said. '' And 21 are working on the embargo on Cuba than to fight the war on terror.''
He added that the American government's quest for imperialism will not stop at Iraq. ''Anybody is subject to attack,'' he said. ''They say anyone with the capability and intent to create weapons of mass destruction is a threat. That's any country that Bush and Blair have decided upon.
'' They want to dismantle everything achieved by popular struggle over the last century from social welfare, pensions, medical care, progressive taxation, anything you can think of. They want to create a powerful state which serves rich and poerful and controls everybody else.'' The lecture hall remained silent.
He said: We forget that anti-war movement did not exist in the 0s until years after the war in Vietnm began. '' Changes came in the 70s and 80s, the women's movement barely existd in the 60s, the environental didn't exist and solidarity movements and anti nuclear movements came in the 8os. This is the first time there was a massive protest against a war before it was launchd. I can't think of any historical example of that and that's an indication of very big changes in popular understanding and consciousness. He conclused that it's not utopia but it's significant and these trajectories are vry optimistic and we have got to make sure they go on.
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