Chomsky is both loved and despised in equal measures and is not shy to have his voice heard, for better or worse. He has chiseled out a reputation for his often radical political views, which he describes as "libertarian socialist".
He has long been anti-war and anti-interventionist on the geopolitical stage. He adamantly opposed the Vietnam War and is often one of the strongest voices opposing conflicts to this day.
Because of his outspokenness, Chomsky often attracts controversy. One notable example was his support for the free-speech rights of Robert Faurisson in the late-1970ss
Faurisson, a French lecturer at the time, denied the existence of the gas chambers in Nazi concentration camps.
"As a result, Chomsky found himself in the middle of heated controversy, and in response, he asserted that his views are "diametrically opposed" to Faurisson's conclusions and his intent was to support Faurisson's civil liberties, not his Holocaust denial. The incident haunted Chomsky for decades, however, and his reputation in France, in particular, was damaged for some time afterward." - biography.com.
He was also on the receiving end of a lot of controversy over his 2002 collection of essays on the September 11 attacks. Called 9-11: Was There an Alternative?, Chomsky acknowledged the event as an atrocity, but was simultaneously scathing of some elements of the U.S.'s foreign policy that could also be considered "terrorist" in nature.
It became a best-seller and was unsurprisingly denounced by many critics as a distortion of American history. It was also praised by supporters as offering an honest analysis of events leading to 9-11 that weren't being reported by the mainstream media.
Chomsky is still very active in current affairs and is a highly-respected and sought-after thinker. He continues to author new books and contributes to a wide variety of journals around the world.
He is also very active on the lecture circuit.