From one end of the continent to the other, South America is rising. After centuries of colonial, semi-colonial rule and Monroe Doctrine U.S. gunboat diplomacy and coups, the erstwhile "banana republics" are saying, "Basta!" With Chavez in Venezuela and Morales in Bolivia taking the lead, they are being joined by Correa in Ecuador, and to some extent Kirchner in Argentina, Bachelet in Chile, Lula in Brazil and Ortega in Nicaragua in trying to form a new set of relations with the U.S. As Morales says, "We want partners, not bosses." While Washingron is fixated on the Middle East, events in South America indicate that formerly subordinate and servile countries are staking out new parameters of independence.

Noam Chomsky, internationally renowned MIT professor, practically invented modern linguistics. In addition to his pioneering work in that field he has been a leading voice for peace and social justice. He is in huge demand as a public speaker all over the world. The New Statesman calls him, "Our greatest unraveller of accredited lies." Author of scores of books, his latest are Failed States, Perilous Power and the bestseller Imperial Ambitions.