text: "The second major area to which Chomsky has contributed - and surely the best known in terms of the number of people in his audience and the ease of understanding what he writes and says - is his work on sociopolitical analysis, political, social, and economic history, and critical assessment of current political circumstance. In Chomsky's view, while those in power might - and do - try to obscure their intentions and defend their actions in ways that make them acceptable to citizens, it is easy for anyone who is willing to be critical and consider the facts to discern what they are up to."
  Chomsky's political views have changed little since his childhood,[184] when he was influenced by the emphasis on political activism that was ingrained in Jewish working-class tradition.[185] He usually identifies as an anarcho-syndicalist or a libertarian socialist.[186] He views these positions not as precise political theories but as ideals which he thinks best meet the needs of humans: liberty, community, and freedom of association.[187] Unlike some other socialists, such as those who accept Marxism, Chomsky believes that politics lies outside the remit of science,[188] however he still roots his ideas about an ideal society on empirical data and empirically justified theories.[189]
  In Chomsky's view, the truth about political realities is systematically distorted or suppressed through elite corporate interests, who use corporate media, advertising, and think tanks to promote their own propaganda. His work seeks to reveal such manipulations and the truth that they obscure.[190] He believes that "common sense" is all that is required to break through the web of falsehood and see the truth, if it is employed using both critical thinking skills and an awareness of the role that self-interest and self-deception plays on both oneself and on others.[191] He believes that it is the moral responsibility of intellectuals to tell the truth about the world, but claims that few do so because they fear losing prestige and funding.[192] He argues that, as such an intellectual, it is his duty to use his privilege, resources, and training to aid popular democracy movements their struggles.[193]
  Although he had joined protest marches and organized activist groups, he identifies his primarily political outlet as being that of education, offering free lessons and lectures to encourage wider political consciousness.[194] His political writings have covered a wide range of topics, although there are a number of core themes throughout much of his work.[195] He is a member of the Industrial Workers of the World international union,[196] and sits on the interim consultative committee of the International Organization for a Participatory Society.[197]
  Chomsky's published work has focused heavily on criticising the actions of the United States.[198] Chomsky believes that the basic principle of the foreign policy of the United States is the establishment of "open societies" which are economically and politically controlled by the U.S. and where U.S.-based businesses can prosper.[199] He argues that the U.S. seeks to suppress any movements within these countries that are not compliant to U.S. interests and ensure that U.S.-friendly governments are placed in power.[192] When discussing current events, he emphasises their place within a wider historical perspective.[198] He believes that official, sanctioned historical accounts of U.S. and British imperialism have consistently whitewashed these nations' actions in order to present them as having benevolent motives in either spreading democracy or, in older instances spreading Christianity; criticizing these accounts, he seeks to correct them.[200] Prominent examples that he regularly cites are the actions of the British Empire in India and Africa, and the actions of the U.S. in Vietnam, the Philippines, Latin America, and the Middle East.[200]
  Chomsky explains his decision to focus on criticizing the U.S. over other countries as being because during his lifetime the country has militarily and economically dominated the world, and because its liberal democratic electoral system allows for the citizenry to exert an influence on government policy.[201] His hope is that by spreading awareness of the negative impact that imperialism has on the populations affected by it, he can sway the population of the U.S. and other countries into opposing government policies that are imperialist in their nature.[200] He urges people to criticize the motivations, decisions, and actions of their governments, to accept responsibility for one's own thoughts and actions, and to apply the same standards to others as one would apply to oneself.[202]
  He has been critical of U.S. involvement in the Israel-Palestine conflict, arguing that it has consistently blocked a peaceful settlement.[192] Chomsky has long endorsed the left binationalist program, seeking to create a democratic state in the Levant that is home to both Jews and Arabs.[203] However, acknowledging the realpolitik of the situation, Chomsky has also considered a two-state solution on the condition that both nation-states exist on equal terms.[204] As a result of his criticisms of Israel, Chomsky was barred from entering Israel in 2010.[205][206][207][208][209]
  In his youth, Chomsky developed a dislike of capitalism and the selfish pursuit of material advancement.[210] At the same time he developed a disdain for the authoritarian attempts to establish a socialist society, as represented by the Marxist–Leninist policies of the Soviet Union.[211] Rather than accepting the common view among American economists that a spectrum exists between total state ownership of the economy on the one hand and total private ownership on the other, he instead suggests that a spectrum should be understood between total democratic control of the economy of the one hand and total autocratic control (whether state or private) on the other.[212] He argues that Western capitalist nations are not really democratic,[213] for in his view, a truly democratic society is one in which all persons have a say in public economic policy.[214] He has stated his opposition to ruling elites, among them institutions like the IMF, World Bank, and GATT.[215]
  Socialism will be achieved only insofar as all social institutions, in particular the central industrial, commercial, and financial institutions of a modern society, are placed under democratic control in a federal industrial republic of the sort that Russell and others envisioned, with actively functioning workers' councils and other self-governing units in which each citizen, in Thomas Jefferson's words, will be "a direct participator in the government of affairs."
  Chomsky highlights that since the 1970s, the U.S. has become increasingly economically unequal as a result of the repeal of various financial regulations and the rescindment of the Bretton Woods financial control agreements.[217] He characterizes the U.S. as a de facto one-party state, viewing both the Republican Party and Democratic Party as manifestations of a single "Business Party" controlled by corporate and financial interests.[218] Chomsky highlights that within Western capitalist liberal democracies, at least 80% of the population has no control over economic decisions, which are instead in the hands of a management class and ultimately controlled by a small, wealthy elite.[219]