Sir Anthony Eden has been pretending that he is now invading Egypt in order to strengthen the United Nations. Every burglar of course could say the same thing, he could argue that he was entering the house in order to train the police. So, if Sir Anthony Eden is sincere in what he is saying, and he may be, he may be, then if he is sincere in what he is saying then he is too stupid to be a prime minister.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Bevan compares Eden's defense of the Suez invasion to a burglar claiming to train police, suggesting either hypocrisy or incompetence.
- In plain terms
- He says claiming to invade to help peace is like a criminal saying they are helping law enforcement.
- What can you take from it?
- Justifying aggression as peacekeeping is logically flawed.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do we spot political lying?
- Is force ever justified as peace?
Another view
Sometimes force is used with genuine intent to stabilize regions.
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