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One should refer to things by their accurate designation. What is happening right now in Vietnam is a form of torture. What they do is tormenting people. They torment a nation in order to humiliate it, compel them to subjugate with brute force. That is why the bombings are an infamy. Of such there are many in modern history. They are often linked by name: Guernica, Oradour, Babij Jar, Katyn, Lidice, Sharpeville and Treblinka. In all those places violence was triumphant, but the judgment of history came down hard on those who were responsible. Now there is another name to add to the row: Hanoi, the Christmas of 1972.

Olof Palme#2

HistoryJusticeViolenceWar

About this quote

What does it mean?
Military actions like the bombing of Hanoi are acts of torture and infamy, similar to historical atrocities where violence was later judged harshly.
In plain terms
Violent bombings are torturous and will be condemned by history like past atrocities.
What can you take from it?
Violence against nations is an infamy that history will judge.

Where it applies

  • war reporting
  • historical analysis
  • peace activism

Putting it to work

  • condemn war crimes
  • analyze military actions
  • remember history

Questions to consider

  • How does history judge violence?
  • When is force an infamy?

Another view

Not all military actions fit the definition of torture.

More from Olof Palme

  1. Throughout history, people have lived in poverty and misery. They have been degraded by hunger and ignorance, they have tormented each other and been driven in…

    Permalink to quote #1
  2. The rights of democracy are not reserved for a select group within society, they are the rights of all the people.

    Permalink to quote #3
  3. Human beings will find a balanced situation when they do good things not because God says it, but because they feel like doing them.

    Permalink to quote #4

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