There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
Noam ChomskyRead
The good news from the U.S. military survey of focus groups is that Iraqis do accept the Nuremberg principles. They understand that sectarian violence and the other postwar horrors are contained within the supreme international crime committed by the invaders.
Interpretation
The quote highlights Iraqis' understanding of their situation in relation to international law and the consequences of occupation.
Noam Chomsky's quote reflects on the Iraqi people's acceptance of the Nuremberg principles, indicating their awareness of the injustices inflicted upon them by invaders. It suggests that they recognize the postwar sectarian violence as a direct result of the supreme international crimes committed through the act of invasion, tying their suffering to broader concepts of justice and accountability.
In practice
During a discussion on international law and war ethics, this quote can be used to illustrate the implications of military interventions.
There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
The 'free-floating intellectual' may occupy himself with problems because of their inherent interest and importance, perhaps to little effect.
If you're teaching today what you were teaching five years ago, either the field is dead or you are.
There are very few people who are going to look into the mirror and say, 'That person I see is a savage monster;' instead, they make up some construction that justifies what they do.
The Republican Party has become overwhelmingly so extreme that it's hardly a traditional political party anymore.
There is still much debate about whether torture has been effective in eliciting information - the assumption being, apparently, that if it is effective, then it may be justified.
Any foolish boy can stamp on a beetle, but all the professors in the world cannot make a beetle.
No period of history has ever been great or ever can be that does not act on some sort of high, idealistic motives, and idealism in our time has been shoved aside, and we are paying the penalty for it.
We are the living graves of murdered beasts, slaughtered to satisfy our appetites. How can we hope in this world to attain the peace we say we are so anxious for?
To denounce does not free the self from what it hates, any more than ignoring the past shuts off its influence.
But myth is something else than an explanation of the world, of history, and of destiny. Myth expresses in terms of the world - that is, of the other world or the second world - the understanding that man has of himself in relation to the foundation and the limit of his existence. Hence to demythologize is to interpret myth, that is, to relate the objective representations of the myth to the self-understanding which is both shown and concealed in it.
The young know how truly difficult and dreadful youth can be. Their youth is wasted on everyone else, that's the horror. The young have no authority, no respect.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.