Chomsky on Anarchism.pdf - Zine Library
Chomsky on Anarchism.pdf - Zine Library
Chomsky on Anarchism.pdf - Zine Library
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OBJECTIVITY AND LIBERAL SCHOLARSHIP<br />
ficulries in communicaring this fan w the Vietnamese peasant or w our<br />
"Vietnamese associates." What is needed, clearly, is better training for<br />
American officials, and of course, true nati<strong>on</strong>al dedicati<strong>on</strong> w this humanitarian<br />
task.<br />
A grave defect in our society, this political scientist argues, is our tendency<br />
[Q avoid "an active American role in the fostering of democratic instituti<strong>on</strong>s<br />
abroad." The pacificati<strong>on</strong> program in Vietnam represents an attempt to meet<br />
our resp<strong>on</strong>sibility to foster democratic instituti<strong>on</strong>s abroad, through rati<strong>on</strong>al<br />
methods of material and human resources c<strong>on</strong>trol. Refusal [Q dedicate ourselves<br />
to this task might be described as "a policy more selfish and timid than<br />
it was broad and enlightened"23 to use the terminology of an earlier day.<br />
When we strip away the terminology of the behavioral sciences, we see<br />
revealed, in such work as this, the mentality of the col<strong>on</strong>ial civil servant, persuaded<br />
of the benevolence of the mother country and the correctness of its<br />
visi<strong>on</strong> of world order, and c<strong>on</strong>vinced that he understands the true interests of<br />
the backward peoples whose welfare he is to administer. In fact, much of the<br />
scholarly work <strong>on</strong> Southeast Asian affairs reflects precisely this mentality. As an<br />
example, c<strong>on</strong>sider the August 1967 issue of Asian Survey, fully devoted to a<br />
Vietnam symposium in which a number of expens c<strong>on</strong>nibure their thoughts<br />
<strong>on</strong> the success of our enterprise and how it can be moved forward.<br />
22 The introductory essay by Samuel Huntingwn, chairman of the depanment<br />
of government at Harvard, is entitled "Social Science and Vietnam." It<br />
emphasizes the need "w develop scholarly study and understanding of<br />
Vietnam" if our "involvement" is to sllcceed, and expresses his judgment that<br />
the papers in this volume "dem<strong>on</strong>strate that issues and wpics closely c<strong>on</strong>nected<br />
to policy can be presented and analyzed in scholarly and objective fashi<strong>on</strong>."<br />
HuntingtOn's own c<strong>on</strong>tributi<strong>on</strong> to "scholarly study and understanding of<br />
Vietnam" includes an article in the Bost<strong>on</strong> Globe, February 17, 1968. Here he<br />
describes the "momentous changes in Vietnamese society during the past five<br />
years," specifically, the process of urbanizati<strong>on</strong>. This process "struck direcdy at<br />
the strength and potential appeal of the Viet C<strong>on</strong>g." "So l<strong>on</strong>g as the overwhelming<br />
mass of the people lived in the countryside, the VC could win the<br />
war by winning c<strong>on</strong>trol of those people-and they came very close w doing so<br />
in both 1961 and 1964. But the American sp<strong>on</strong>sored urban revoluti<strong>on</strong> undercut<br />
the VC rural revoluti<strong>on</strong>." The refugees fleeing from the rural areas found<br />
not <strong>on</strong>ly security bur also "prosperity and ec<strong>on</strong>omic well-being." "While<br />
wanime urban prosperity hun some, the mass of the poor people benefitted<br />
from it."<br />
The sources of urbanizati<strong>on</strong> have been described clearly many times, for<br />
example, by this American spokesman in Vietnam: "There have been three<br />
choices open [Q the peasanny. One, [Q stay where they are; two, to move into<br />
the areas c<strong>on</strong>trolled by us; three, to move off into the interior towards the