Great powers have always played cat and mouse games. The game is played to fool the target audience, the domestic population. Rulers cloak their motives behind some exalted principle. So the propaganda machinery churns out words and terms of mass deception. Perennial favorites are liberation, democracy, open markets, the national interest, self-defense and freedom. When they become too hackneyed then new ones are invented like weapons of mass destruction. The US always invades countries in self-defense. As Orwell, says, War is Peace. The US claims that it is different from previous empires, that it is morally superior. But few outside the country believe that. To carry out their agenda, states need an obedient citizenry. Don't ask too many questions. Watch TV, pay your taxes and march to war.

Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky is the internationally renowned Institute Professor Emeritus at MIT. He practically invented modern linguistics. In addition to his pioneering work in that field he has been a leading voice for peace and social justice for many decades. He is in huge demand as a speaker all over world. "The New Statesman" calls him, "The conscience of the American people." Howard Zinn described him as "the nation's most distinguished intellectual rebel." He's the author of scores of books including "Failed States," "What We Say Goes," and "Hopes and Prospects."