Jimmy Carter in Power and Terror, by Noam Chomsky

On Foreign Policy: Cuban embargo helps Castro but doesn't harm Cubans

The fear of Communism was always a total fraud. We know that and have known it for years from the declassified internal record. It's from the Kennedy administration.

The effect of the Cuban embargo, the standard line here, which was repeated by former President Carter a couple of weeks ago, is that the embargo helps Castro and, of course, doesn't harm the Cubans. The only people who are harmed by it are the North Americans like farmers and agro-business who want to export there, but it has no effect on Cuba except to help Castro.

A detailed study in March 1997 concluded that the embargo had dramatically harmed health and nutrition in Cuba, and caused a significant rise in suffering and death. It would have been a humanitarian catastrophe, they said, which is quite astonishing, though it did direct resources in the health system away from other needs, with the obvious consequences.

Source: Power and Terror, by Noam Chomsky, p. 73 May 25, 2002

On War & Peace: Admired the Shah of Iran until his overthrow in 1979

In 1953, Iran was evil, the epitome of evil. Why? Because it had a conservative nationalist elected government that was trying to take control of its own resources, which had been run by the British up until then. So it was the epitome of evil. The government had to be overthrown by a military coup carried out by the US and Britain. The Shah was reinstated.

Then for the next 26 years it was good. The Shah compiled one of the worst human rights records in the world. President Carter particularly admired the Shah. Just a couple of months before he was overthrown, he said how impressed he was by the Shah's "progressive administration," and so on.

In 1979, Iran became evil again. They pulled out of the imperial system. And since then they have been evil. They haven't been following orders.

Source: Power and Terror, by Noam Chomsky, p.128-129 Mar 19, 2002

The above quotations are from Power and Terror Post-9/11 Talks and Interviews by Noam Chomsky. Click here for other excerpts from Power and Terror Post-9/11 Talks and Interviews by Noam Chomsky. Click here for other excerpts by Jimmy Carter. Click here for a profile of Jimmy Carter.
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