In this book, Noam Chomsky describes that powerful states, corporations, wealthy elites as well as global institutions have strong influence to shape how the world should be. This situation intertwined with a lot of issues from military intervention, terrorism, the media and propaganda, climate change and the threat of nuclear war –just to name a few.
At the end of the day, the economy will be the key knowing the business interest will play the major roles.
Like or dislike, the question “Who rules the world?” cannot ignore the U.S. as the only superpower as well as the country who serves as the most active player in the arena of global politics and economy.
As an idealist and legalist, Chomsky criticizes the United States foreign policy that tends to be non compliant to international law and behaving double standards. Chomsky argues that the U.S. sometimes applies principles such as democracy and human rights selectively– supporting them when convenient while overlooking violations by allies.
Chomsky examines the dark currents underlying major issues of our times, from the post WWII era, secret history of the U.S. and Cuba, China, Iran, conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel and Palestine.
Despite this book published in 2017 –far before the capture of Nicolas Maduro –then The Venezuelan President, Chomsky argument may be the same should he have written this book today: Can a powerful country use military force to remove the leader of another sovereign country?
On the other hand, the U.S. argued that it had legal authority to conduct the operation based on its domestic-law enforcement because an indication of Maduro was involved in a major criminal network involving drug trafficking and narcoterrorism.
That will always be a debatable issue.
In the last chapter of the book titled “Masters of Mankind”, Chomsky poses another question: “What principles and values rule the world?” This apparently is more important to answer, no matter who the actors are.
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Serpong, 3 Aug 2026
Titus J.
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