Terrorism a weapon of those 'against us': Chomsky

The Hindu

KOLKATA, NOV. 20. Prof. Noam Chomsky, social theorist and political analyst, says that it is a very serious analytic error to say terrorism is the weapon of the weak. Like other means of violence, it is primarily a weapon of the str ong - overwhelmingly, in fact.

Addressing a gathering in Kolkata, Prof. Chomsky said that terrorism was not the weapon of the weak. ``It is the weapon of those who are against `us', whoever `us' happens to be.''

Speaking on ``Sept. 11 and its aftermath: Where is the world heading?'', Prof. Chomsky said that the new millennium had given the world two things: terrorist attack and the reaction to it. ``The reaction to the attack told us in which direction the world is heading to.'' Today's lecture was organised by the West Bengal Government at the Science City auditorium. The Chief Minister, Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, presided over the lecture.

Prof. Chomsky, also a world-renowned linguist, is on a four-day visit to the city during which time he would receive an honorary doctorate from Calcutta University. As State guests, Prof. Chomsky, accompanied by his wife, Ms. Carol, would visit the Asiatic Society, meet the city's intellectuals and hold a news conference before leaving for Pakistan on Friday morning.

What happened on September 11, Prof. Chomsky said, was widely regarded as a historic event. ``It is true. It was a historic event and the question we should be asking is: exactly why?.''

For the first time in 200 years, the U.S. came under attack. ``That is why there was no regret for the attack on the uncivilised Afghan tribes. Among the questions that come to mind is: what is happening right now?.''

Talking about the situation in Afghanistan, he said that there were seven to eight million people there on the verge of starvation. That was true before September 11. They were surviving on international aid. After the first week of bombing, according to the United Nations, there were 7.5 million Afghans in acute need of even a loaf of bread.

In the course of his speech, Prof. Chomsky explained how the nations were building up nuclear arsenal in the aftermath of September 11, the impact of September 11 on the U.S. as well as the world economy and so on.