There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
If the Nuremberg laws were applied, then every post-war American president would have been hanged.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote implies that the moral and legal standards used during the Nuremberg Trials could condemn modern leaders for their actions.
Noam Chomsky's quote critiques the actions of post-war American presidents by suggesting that if the legal criteria established during the Nuremberg Trials were strictly enforced, many of these leaders would face severe consequences for their decisions and policies. This statement encourages reflection on accountability and the moral implications of government actions, highlighting a tension between historical justice and contemporary governance.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about government accountability during a political debate.
More from Noam Chomsky
All quotes βThe '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.
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I am stealing the golden vessels of the Egyptians to build a tabernacle to my God from them, far far away from the boundaries of Egypt. If you forgive me, I shall rejoice; if you are enraged with me, I shall bear it. See, I cast the die, and I write the book. Whether it is to be read by the people of the present or of the future makes no difference: let it await its reader for a hundred years, if God himself has stood ready for six thousand years for one to study him.