“The central -and not very impressive- conclusion that emerges from the documents and historical records is that the international politics and security policy of the United States, which have their roots in the power structure of domestic society, have as their primary goal the safeguarding of what we might call the ‘fifth freedom’, whose raw, yet truly accurate meaning is nothing less than the freedom of plunder, exploitation, and domination, the freedom to undertake any action in order for the existing privilege to be protected and promoted.

This guiding principle was overlooked when Franklin Delano Roosevelt announced the Four Freedoms, which the United States and its allies would uphold in the struggle against fascism: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.” What lies behind the Iran-Contra affair? What does its revelation signify for American politics? What forces shape a U.S. foreign policy based on robbery and exploitation, and how do the media comply, concealing the facts of this “culture of terror”?

In this book, Noam Chomsky explores the above and other similar questions, providing a scathing critique of the political culture of the United States. But his message is a message of hope: A reminder that resistance is possible and that “the constraints that have been imposed on state violence are not empty achievements of those who have made efforts and have taken the initiative to commit to a serious endeavor for freedom, democracy, and justice in a society that offers limited means for such enterprises.”