Chomsky? The MIT elitist whose delusional rationale shifts conveniently between reality and fantasy; whichever one conveniently seems to reinforce his baseless claims at the time. Example you ask? Chomsky on Cambodia......

-Chomsky-“When the war ended in 1975, the victorious Pathet Lao appear to have made some efforts to achieve reconciliation with the mountain tribesmen who had been organized in the CIA clandestine army [in Laos].”

Reality-The Pathet Lao waged a campaign of genocide, murdering an estimated 100,000
tribe’s people. They inflicted massacres, terror bombing, concentration camps and mass rape.

-Chomsky-“it seems fair to describe the responsibility of the United States and Pol Pot for atrocities during ‘the decade of the genocide’ as being roughly in the same range.”

Reality-Demographic evidence indicates that America killed about 40,000 Khmer Rouge
fighters and Cambodian civilians during 1970-5, and that the Khmer Rouge murdered at least 1.8 million civilians during 1975-9.

Chomsky-“The harshest critics claim that perhaps 100,000 people have been slaughtered [in Cambodia]… Comparing East Timor with Cambodia, we see that the time frame of alleged atrocities is the same, the numbers allegedly slaughtered are roughly comparable in absolute terms, and five to ten times as high in East Timor relative to population… my own conclusion is that the sources in the [case of] East Timor are more credible…”

Reality-A Truth Commission found that the Indonesian war in East Timor caused 18,600
violent killings and 75,000-183,000 deaths from hunger and illness.35 Genocide investigators have determined that the Khmer Rouge perpetrated 1.1 million violent killings and murdered 2.2 million victims overall.

Chomsky-“If 2-2½ million people… have been systematically slaughtered by a band of
murderous thugs [then intervention is sought]… [But not] if the figure of those killed was, say, less by a factor of 100 – that is, 25,000 people… [or] if the deaths in Cambodia were not the result of systematic slaughter and starvation organized by the state…”

Reality-No honest observer thought that only 25,000 died under the Khmer Rouge or that
the mass deaths were not the result of systematic slaughter and starvation. A UN investigation reported 2-3 million dead, while UNICEF estimated 3 million dead.38 Even the Khmer Rouge acknowledged 2 million deaths – which they attributed to the Vietnamese invasion.

Absolute brilliance as so eloquently explained by Chomsky-“the evacuation of Phnom Penh [by the Khmer Rouge], widely denounced at the time and since for its undoubted brutality, may actually have saved many lives.”

Reality-At least 30,000 very young children died as a direct result of the Khmer Rouge evacuation of Phnom Penh.41 In total, at least 870,000 men, women and children from Phnom Penh died under the Khmer Rouge dictatorship.

Chomsky-“At the end of 1978 Cambodia [under the Khmer Rouge] was the only country in Indochina that had succeeded at all in overcoming the agricultural crisis that was left by the American destruction.”

Reality-Famine killed over 950,000 people under the Khmer Rouge.44 By late 1979, UN
and Red Cross officials were warning that another 2.25 million faced starvation thanks to “the near destruction of Cambodian society under the regime of the ousted Prime Minister Pol Pot.” They found starving children wherever they went.

- Leopold Labedz on Chomsky
(Encounter, July 1980)
“In his ideological fanaticism he constantly shifts his arguments and bends references,
quotations and facts, while declaring his ‘commitment to find the truth.’”

Should you require; I will gladly forward references. The fore mentioned statements made by Chomsky are not only blatantly dishonest but extremely intellectually insulting. One of my father's closest friends escaped from the Khmer Rouge with his father after witnessing the murder of their entire family in the "Killing Fields" and then both men had to live and survive in exile on an island for the next two years. Witnessing these stories first hand was really moving and it is quite shameful for Chomsky to make statements of this nature as they explicitly dishonor the memory of friend’s entire family who were brutally murdered in Cambodia.

Not a fan of the bird hunter Cheney and in no shape or form am attempting to defend his actions; however I am curious to know how you explain reasoning behind the actions of associates within the organization designated as the Institution of International Humanitarian Law whose hypocrisy is blatantly disturbing due to their failure to facilitate the plight of the Kurds in Northern Iraq. How has this organizations excessive arrogance and refusal to acknowledge pleas from the world's largest population that has yet to receive support from the humanitarians in their quest to settle and declare territorial sovereignty as they are the only group worldwide numbering over forty million to be classified as "nomads". Does enforcement of legislation involving International Humanitarian Law only apply to individuals who are not associated within the organization? Should they be reprimanded for not adhering to their own mandates?

Foreign Policy-World's Top Global Thinkers? The list is pathetic and due to the recent influx of article submissions that blatantly exude opinions of a political nature that have replaced "objective" contributions where applied logic was utilized as a basis instead of opinion; I now am considering cancelling my subscription as the magazine and webpage I once thought as an objective viable publication has evolved into a forum where preference for political ideologues from either spectrum it appears, triumphs over logical objective discussions whose value lies in challenging ones intellect.

On a final note-As for the Jackass below who mentioned "Michael Moore" as a candidate for the list and stated overwhelming approval for the narrow minded movie "Capitalism".

Did Michael Moore receive profits from this so called fakeumentary? Did he give them all to charity or back to the federal govt.? Of course capitalism has issues; no system is perfect.
I am willing to bet that Mr. Moore probably pocketed some of the profits........how did he do this? Brought to you by Capitalism. Did Moore get rich off of producing movies in a capitalist society? Bet your ass he did and he has no regrets. Profits are used to extend his belly.

Until Mike does a "REAL" documentary highlighting "Obesity in America"; his fabrications of reality should receive no accolades. Oh wait, Mike is fat is shit.....it might be perceived as an oxymoron. Isn’t life great?

Whatever the preponderance of truth is between the numbers cited by Naom Chomsky and by others, we, Americans, have to answer for OUR actions not for Pol Pots's or Sukarno's or others'. We invaded and bombed other countries in southeast Asia that had done us no harm and were not a threat to us, just as we are doing now. Even if we had killed only one person, that would have been a disgraceful war-crime.

The FP lost its credibility by opting Dick Cheney in the top 100 thinkers list. Shame indeed!!

Spoken like a true political ideologue. Of course I would expect any fair minded, objective individual to recognize the negative repercussions that directly result from American actions/intervention. However, as an individual who is interested in analysis that encompasses the entire scope; acknowledgement of action/intervention by America that has improved a situation or resulted in a positive outcome also warrants merit.

America is responsible for numerous horrible atrocities in many areas across the globe, but there are also countless examples where U.S. involvement has been extremely beneficial and resulted in positive outcomes.

Individuals who do not acknowledge these realities are not only being blatantly dishonest and irresponsible; they discourage thoughtful discussion/debate and are engaged in an indirect assault on the institution of free thought.

How would you classify America's involvement in Cuba that led to Fidel Castro coming to power? Positive or Negative?

On a final note; I agree with you that Hitchens should be in the top five; number one in my opinion (although I don't agree with him all the time). His intellect by far, towers above any of the individuals offered as FP's Top 100 Global Thinkers.

I fully agree with most of the readers who are of the opinion that Dick Cheney should not have been there.

Richard Dawkins should have been among the top 5 thinkers.

Thanks for NOT including Richard Dawkins.
He has built an empire off his robotic historic revisionists. I am waiting for him to begin selling unholy water and relics of Darwin's actual hair follicles on his web site.
Someone sees him for what he isn't.

At least 30,000 very young children died as a direct result of the Khmer Rouge evacuation of Phnom Penh.41 In total, at least 870,000 men, women and distance learning high school children from Phnom Penh died under the Khmer Rouge dictatorship.affordable diploma

Chomsky-“At the end of 1978 Cambodia [under the Khmer Rouge] was the only country in Indochina that had succeeded at all in online ged test overcoming the agricultural crisis that was left by the American destruction.”

Reality-Famine killed over 950,000 people under the Khmer Rouge.44 By late 1979, UN
and Red Cross officials were life experience diploma warning that another 2.25 million faced starvation thanks to “the near destruction of Cambodian society under the regime of the ousted Prime Minister Pol Pot.” They found starving children wherever they went. homeschool online

- Leopold Labedz on Chomsky

That's because those two tied for 39th. This eliminates a #40 position.

I Realy Suggest u should practice to improve ur english dude !
And The Thinker Is A Person Who Made/Creat A New Idea Or Wave To Change Smtng In Huge Size ! As All Of The Retard person knows exept u Dear !
And one more thing , Plz Translate this with ur Sweet English For Some Of Retards Just Like ME : "She is no influential thinker. Her biggest ideas are resurrecting Khomeini (what were his ideas)" As We Know just like other retards , One Person Can Be Male Or Female ! If U Mean She As A He , then we should Check Her Anatomy , May be She IS Shemale And We Dont Know it Yet !
Look Dude , If U Try A Dictonary to Translate These Bullshits For Other ppl , I Realy Suggest u Should Change Ur Dictionary Or Ur Mind ASAP !

Precisely this is the point! She is not the greatest Iranian thinker! She has had very little thought to offer Iranians -- just another Islamic fennatic, a she instead of a he, what's the big deal there? She is not and has never been the engine of the movement in Iran (if you are considering her holding hands with this Mousavi guy, then Nominate the Obamas, cause they are the one's Iranian candidates were copying!!). She is hardly a monumental mover and shaker. Her nomination irkes of politiking by yet another ill-informed (or perhaps ill-motivated, which one??) Western media outlet.
If it is just 'apparent' influence perhaps we coiuld equally vote for Barbie (or Ken)!!
And here, my friend, is the ethical point: the ethics of nominatioting on some rigorous basis which is evidently lacking here. So yes, read the title, but more importantly: know and understand the topic you are talking about!!!

Stop the presses! The boneless chicken breast index is topping the charts.

I've always loved the use of isolated and arbitrary anecdotal evidence to prove a point that's way beyond its scope. Like when someone cites a cold day in an attempt to refute global warming.

Meanwhile, year-on-year CPI is at -0.2%. We need to worry about deflation before we start ringing the alarm about inflation.

Obama is trying to get China to allow its currency to float, rather than artificially keeping the yuan weak...same policy advocated by the Bush WH. Free markets are good, right? A weak yuan is directly tied to low prices and low rates here in the US, both of which contributed to a terminally low savings rate and the crisis.

To paraphrase Bernanke himself, whom, if I recall correctly, was appointed by Pres. Bush...as distasteful and difficult as the bailout and stimulus were, the Great Recession has turned out to be a lot less painful for everyone, not just bankers, than it could have been in their absence. Granted, we're not out of the woods yet.

And finally, attributing moral weakness to people with whom you simply disagree is infantile. As much as you may disagree with Bernanke and Obama, I doubt you can question their current influence.

Get a clue.

Pablo wrote:

Stop the presses! The boneless chicken breast index is topping the charts.

I've always loved the use of isolated and arbitrary anecdotal evidence to prove a point that's way beyond its scope. Like when someone cites a cold day in an attempt to refute global warming.

Meanwhile, year-on-year CPI is at -0.2%. We need to worry about deflation before we start ringing the alarm about inflation.

To which I reply that the boneless chicken breast index is a far more reliable measure of inflation than the BLS's CPI. Pablo must know that the CPI has been repeatedly revised since LBJ to make more favorable the appearances.

Pablo continues:
Obama is trying to get China to allow its currency to float, rather than artificially keeping the yuan weak...same policy advocated by the Bush WH. Free markets are good, right? A weak yuan is directly tied to low prices and low rates here in the US, both of which contributed to a terminally low savings rate and the crisis.

Free markets? Where? In a Eco 101 classroom, perhaps. Is the dollar trading freely against the euro, yen or pound when our creditors fear having the dollar sink because they are stuck with so many of them? If they could, they would dump them as IOUs from a deadbeat. They hold them in desperation. What else can they do? Our consumers could afford to buy goods made in USA if their wages had kept up with productivity since the mid-seventies. By crippling American unions, we made ourselves reliant on Chinese goods and on consumer indebtedness.

Pablo states:
To paraphrase Bernanke himself, whom (sic), if I recall correctly, was appointed by Pres. Bush...as distasteful and difficult as the bailout and stimulus were, the Great Recession has turned out to be a lot less painful for everyone, not just bankers, than it could have been in their absence. Granted, we're not out of the woods yet.

That's right! We are not out of the woods yet, and Bernanke should be taken to the woodshed along with Timothy Geithner and our small-change President. For Bernanke to use the word "distasteful" is an irony. Discretion in taste comes much subsequent to honesty as a virtue. Bernanke's dishonesty in carrying out his public trust is the problem. I care nothing about his taste.

Pablo concludes:
And finally, attributing moral weakness to people with whom you simply disagree is infantile. As much as you may disagree with Bernanke and Obama, I doubt you can question their current influence.

Too much in our public life we have adopted the standard of legality and neglect the immorality of our public figures - and I don't mean their sexual behavior. I mean their responsibility to the public and to the office. Bernanke and Geithner failed in their regulatory responsibilities. They opened the Treasury and the printing presses to their Wall Street friends without conditions and without accountability. They betrayed their public trust and are therefore moral criminals. Q.E.D.

Their influence is great among most of our MCs, who themselves are beholden to Wall Street funders. Bernanke has still received much criticism in his confirmation hearings. One senator on the Finance Committee declared Bernanke should be sent back to Princeton. I would like to send him to Afghanistan. He would fit right into Karzai's crowd.

...about the boneless chicken breast index. There is no such thing. It's a testament to your reasoning that you would claim your own anecdotal evidence of boneless chicken breast price inflation in your own grocery as proof that overall inflation for the entire nation is increasing. To be brief on this point, your reasoning is clearly flawed.
In your harangue about currency markets, you appear to be a proponent of free markets. (Although you're really off the mark, again. Currency markets, the ones that aren't hampered by capital controls, as the yuan is, are about the most free and most efficient markets in the world.) But then you appear to suggest that American consumers should be compelled to buy American. So are you for free markets or against free markets?
Another question for you: if a rational American consumer has the choice between an expensive American-made good and a less expensive Chinese-made good, which one do you think that consumer will spring for? Answer: the less-expensive Chinese-made good, thereby allowing that American consumer to save more, thereby freeing up more capital to go toward other industries in which Americans have a comparative advantage in. You might need to advance past Econ 101 to to learn that bit tho.
And finally, you're still trying to impose a moral judgement on an economic argument. The people you accuse of being immoral have, in no way, gained from their actions. In fact, most of them have taken substantial cuts in pay in exchange for longer hours and scorn from a public that doesn't understand that, as bad as things are now, they could have been a lot worse had they not taken action. Come to think of it, ignorance and ingratitude sure seem immoral.....

for the zionist propagandists to join the party. antisemitism? give it a break