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[Q: isn't there a certain calculus that someone who is sitting in the shoes of a Condoleezza Rice can make, that they're responsible for the best outcome for American citizens, and there's an upside of going into Iraq which is we get one of the greatest material possessions in world's history, and there're downsides which are: we upset the international community, and maybe there's more terrorism. Couldn't you envision a calculus where they say, sure, that's the reason, and it's a good reason, let's do it. What's the flaw in the calculus?] Oh, I think that's exactly their calculus. But then we ought to just be honest and say, 'Look, we're a bunch of Nazis.' So fine, let's just drop all the discussion, we save a lot of trees, we can throw out the newspapers and most of the scholarly literature, and just come out, state it straight, and tell the truth: we'll do whatever we want because we think we're gonna gain by it. And incidentally, it's not American citizens who'll gain. They don't gain by this. It's narrow sectors of domestic power that the administration is serving with quite unusual dedication...

Noam Chomsky#109

PoliticsWarPowerMoralityTruth

About this quote

What does it mean?
Chomsky mocks the moral calculus used to justify Iraq invasion as essentially Nazi-like if honesty were applied.
In plain terms
If leaders admitted true reasons for war, it would look like pure domination.
What can you take from it?
Honesty about power exposes unjust wars.

Where it applies

  • war debate
  • ethics

Putting it to work

  • challenging rhetoric
  • seeking truth

Questions to consider

  • What justifies war really?
  • Why hide true motives?

Another view

Comparing to Nazis may polarize rather than clarify.

More from Noam Chomsky

  1. We certainly shouldn't trust to deal with [Saddam Hussein] anyone who supported him through his worst crimes, that's insane.

    Permalink to quote #108
  2. To gain control over this resource, and have probably military bases there, is a tremendous achievement for world control. You read counter-arguments to this, …

    Permalink to quote #110
  3. Let us turn now to the most elementary principle of just war theory, universality. Those who cannot accept this principle should have the decency to keep silen…

    Permalink to quote #107

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