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In terms of his 40 year now campaign in favor of Chairman Mao, Pol Pot, Slobodan Milosevic, Osama bin Laden most lately, he is, as I say, thus an apologist for terror and tyranny, without rival. [...] Most people, including, by the way, his fellow travelers, like Robert Fisk, can say that America, even Robert Fisk in fact, that America, like all countries, has its moral highs and lows. America, I believe, has more moral highs than most. But he cannot see that. There's always a moral equivalence drawn between the worst tyrants in history and American presidents, even when American presidents have waged wars, just wars, to end tyranny. --Mark Dooley, January 19, 2006 [253]

Noam Chomsky#272

PoliticsHistoryMoralityUs politics

About this quote

What does it mean?
The author labels Chomsky a moral apologist for tyrants, accusing him of equating American presidents with historical dictators.
In plain terms
Chomsky treats bad dictators and US presidents as morally the same.
What can you take from it?
Equating all nations' actions ignores differences in intent and outcome.

Where it applies

  • political criticism
  • international relations

Putting it to work

  • analyze moral arguments
  • compare historical contexts

Questions to consider

  • Is moral equivalence between nations ever valid?
  • How do you judge a nation's actions?

Another view

The quote asserts moral superiority without defining criteria.

More from Noam Chomsky

  1. Noam Chomsky thinks he's the Moses of this age and even those on the Left who don't agree with him on everything accept his moral authority. But Chomsky is a s…

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  2. Chomsky says America is a warring country seeking to build an empire, not a liberator trying to achieve peace, freedom, and democracy. --Debbie Schlussel, Febr…

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  3. Noam Chomsky, the Dr. No of the hate-America crowd, is accused (by his own fans, of all people) of playing a little too fast and a little too loose with the fa…

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