The end of world order: essays on norma... A source page for quotes linked to Richard A. Falk. 0 quotes
“When Daniel Gorenstein was chair, he did mathematics from 5am to 12noon, spending the second half of his working day on administration. When I was chair, I also spent half of my time on research: every other minute.” ScienceHalfMinutesResearchMathematicsSpendingAdministrationMy TimeChairs Author:Richard A. Falk
“When I told my son that I had to give a talk about my work to non-mathematicians, he warned me that regular people don't think like mathematicians.” PeopleThinkingGivingScienceSonMathematicsMy SonMathematician Author:Richard A. Falk
“When I told my mother that I have to give a talk, and was debating what could I possibly say to non-mathematicians, she said: "You got what to wear?".” GivingSaidScienceMotherMathematicsMathematician Author:Richard A. Falk
“The Method of Bisection is a sophisticated version of a tool used in fifth grade called "Guess and Check".” ScienceUsedToolsMathematicsMethodChecksVersionsGradesSophisticatedFifthFifth Grade Author:Richard A. Falk
“I once got a call from a bank, asking me to compute a mortgage, since their computers were down. This was a very depressing moment.” MomentsScienceComputerAskingMathematicsDepressingMortgageVery Depressing Author:Richard A. Falk
“I don't like to end my talk with a 700 million dollar loss, even if it shows the importance of Numerical Analysis.” IfsEndsShowsScienceLossMillionsImportanceMathematicsDollarsAnalysisMillion Dollars Author:Richard A. Falk
“The central task of our time is to evolve a new system of world order based on principles of peace and justice.” WorldOrderJusticePrinciplesTasksEvolveOur TimeWorld OrderPeace And Justice Book:The end of world order: essays on normative international relations Source: The end of world order: essays on normative international relations
“I think the impacts of 9/11 on academic freedom vary greatly depending on locale and time (softening with the passage of time), and even within the same community, and likely within the same schools. This variability makes it difficult to offer generalized responses without accompanying caveats.” ThinkingSchoolDifficultCommunityOffersImpactResponsePassagesAcademicVaryPassage Of TimeVariabilityAcademic Freedom Author:Richard A. Falk
“I do think there is an enhanced awareness of insecurity and vulnerability that induces anxiety that creates pressure on teachers and administrators to offer simplistic explanations and to be resistant to expressions of attitudes that can be viewed as unpatriotic, which is further interpreted as applicable to any tendency to challenge the government when it claims to be acting overseas to avoid repetitions of 9/11 or to encroach on domestic freedom to identify suspicious persons and behaviors.” ThinkingPersonsGovernmentChallengesActingAttitudeTeacherAwarenessExpressionOffersBehaviorAnxietyClaimsPressureTendenciesExplanationVulnerabilityInsecurityRepetitionSuspiciousAdministratorsUnpatriotic Author:Richard A. Falk
“This kind of totalization of security consciousness [after tragedy of 9/11] has the effect within classrooms (and beyond) of constraining the imagination and reinforcing attitudes that privilege the forces of law and order as against the crosscurrents of freedom and dissent.” KindLawOrderForceImaginationConsciousnessAttitudeEffectsSecurityTragedyPrivilegeClassroomDissentLaw And Order Author:Richard A. Falk
“An aggravating feature of this post-9/11 atmosphere is to cast suspicions on Muslims and on Islam as a religion that is interpreted as either inherently violent or death-oriented, with a particular animus against America and Americans.” AmericaParticularIslamCastsViolentPostsAtmosphereFeaturesSuspicionAggravatingAnimus Author:Richard A. Falk
“What both the state and the capitalist economy oppose is an understanding of what might be called "the true nature of things" (using the phrase without metaphysical pretensions), especially injustices and exploitative practices.” StatesMightUnderstandingPracticeEconomyInjusticePhrasesCapitalistMetaphysicalTrue NaturePretensionCapitalist Economy Author:Richard A. Falk
“Nothing is more important than restoring a high degree of autonomy to educational experiences so that those who grow up in this society and troubled world have the best available tools to grasp the challenges that imperil our national and human future.” WorldHumansImportantGrowsChallengesGrowing UpDegreesToolsAvailableEducationalAutonomyThis SocietyRestoring Author:Richard A. Falk
“Doing something, however pathetic, is psychologically better than doing nothing. In the current political environment - that is, with no more Cold War tensions - the tendency is to counteract the feelings of fear and vulnerability with a variety of military, paramilitary and police measures, despite the reality that this kind of excessive reliance on force in many ways intensifies the very problem it is purporting to solve.” WayKindWarFeelingsProblemRealityPoliticalForceEnvironmentMilitaryColdPoliceCurrentsSolveTendenciesDespiteVarietyVulnerabilityTensionCold WarReliancePatheticDoing NothingPolitical Environment Author:Richard A. Falk
“Our [American] leaders are so socialized as to address militarized threats by acting on the basis of a militarized mentality that the deep roots of problems are ignored.” ProblemActingLeaderRootsBasesThreatAddressesMentalityIgnoredDeep Roots Author:Richard A. Falk
“Looking more deeply at the emergence of ISIS or the chaos that exists in Syria, Yemen and Libya would clearly raise crucial doubts about reliance on military intervention and drone warfare as adequate counterterrorist responses and would call attention to the detrimental effects of US "special relationships" with Israel and Saudi Arabia.” AttentionDoubtSpecialEffectsMilitaryRaisesResponseChaosIsraelCrucialWarfareSyriaAdequateInterventionRelianceIsisArabiaSaudi ArabiaSaudisEmergenceDronesLibyaDetrimentalYemenSpecial RelationshipMilitary Intervention Author:Richard A. Falk
“So far, the official definitions of terrorism have the role of demonizing the enemies of the United States and Israel, and of sanitizing recourse to indiscriminate force by both governments that causes widespread death of innocent civilians. This double standard is built around the current way in which the vocabulary of terrorism is being used in this country.” WayCountryStatesGovernmentUsedForceCausesUnitedEnemyRolesUnited StatesStandardsBuiltDefinitionsCurrentsIsraelTerrorismInnocentOfficialsVocabularyCiviliansDouble StandardRecourse Author:Richard A. Falk
“There is no effort to acknowledge some equivalent accountability by associating "terrorism" with all violence that is deliberately aimed at civilians, either directly or as foreseeable effects of violent acts, whether the actor is a non-state individual or group or the state.” StatesActorsIndividualEffortViolenceGroupsEffectsTerrorismViolentAcknowledgeAccountabilityCiviliansViolent Acts Author:Richard A. Falk
“Looked at objectively, it is clear that the overwhelming majority of civilian deaths resulting from political violence are produced by what should be understood as "state terror." Terrorism also serves as an excuse to avoid diplomacy and the peaceful resolution of conflict.” ShouldStatesPoliticalClearViolenceConflictUnderstoodMajorityTerrorExcuseTerrorismPeacefulResolutionOverwhelmingDiplomacyCiviliansPolitical ViolencePeaceful ResolutionCivilian Deaths Author:Richard A. Falk
“The British leadership has acknowledged that it only became possible to end the violence in North Ireland when it stopped thinking of the [Irish Republican Army] as "a terrorist organization" and began treating it as a political actor with genuine grievances that deserved to be addressed.” ThinkingEndsPoliticalActorsViolenceRepublicanOrganizationArmyBritishTerroristGenuineIrelandGrievance Author:Richard A. Falk
“Hamas retains the right to defend Gaza by the use of the weaponry at its disposal, and is thus not committed to nonviolence, but it does offer the possibility of greater peace and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians if the label of "terrorism" was abandoned and the search for accommodation was commenced in good faith.” IfsDoeUseGreaterPossibilityOffersCommittedTerrorismLabelsStabilityAbandonedNonviolencePalestinianGazaHamasGood FaithAccommodationsWeaponry Author:Richard A. Falk
“American special relationships with Israel and Saudi Arabia blind us to their dreadful encroachments on human rights, as well as confer impunity on their leaders with respect to accountability for crimes against humanity.” HumansWellsHumanityLeaderRightsSpecialCrimeBlindHuman RightsIsraelAccountabilityArabiaSaudi ArabiaSaudisImpunityEncroachmentCrimes Against HumanitySpecial Relationship Author:Richard A. Falk
“Trump's election is generally bad news.... In international policy, one can imagine that if Trump were foolish enough to go ahead with his pledge to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, it would be widely experienced throughout the Islamic world as a provocation.” IfsWorldEnoughWould BeMovingImaginePolicyTrumpNewsElectionInternationalFoolishIslamicImagine ThatPledgeBad NewsJerusalemProvocationEmbassy Author:Richard A. Falk
“If Trump were to go ahead with a renewed policy of hostility toward Iran, it would immediately raise tensions, and could quickly escalate in the direction of war, with grave dangers of producing another Syrian tragedy of massive displacement and prolonged strife that could cause turmoil and disruptions throughout the entire region, and give rise to a new cycle of extremism.” IfsGivingWarCausesDangerPolicyTrumpTragedyRaisesGravesTensionRegionsCyclesIranMassiveStrifeHostilityExtremismTurmoilDisruptionDisplacement Author:Richard A. Falk
“I can only hope that Trump comes to realize the grave dangers of adopting a policy of confrontation toward Iran. Among these dangers is the likelihood that hardliners would again gain the upper hand in the governing process in Tehran, and the moderates who have sought to end national and regional tensions would be marginalized, or worse.” I CanEndsHandsWould BeProcessRealizingDangerPolicyTrumpGainsGravesTensionIranModeratesGoverningConfrontationLikelihoodAdoptingMarginalizedTehranUpper Hand Author:Richard A. Falk
“It should be appreciated that if the arrangement on Iran's nuclear program collapses after being so patiently negotiated, and successfully implemented since 2014 despite the intense opposition of Netanyahu's Israel and its American loyalists in Congress, it would be widely perceived around the world as a huge setback in the search for regional stability and the struggle to prevent any further spread of nuclear weapons.” IfsWorldShouldWould BeStruggleHugeWeaponsProgramCongressIsraelSpreadNuclearIntenseDespiteAround The WorldOppositionIranStabilityCollapseNuclear WeaponsArrangementsAppreciatedSetbackLoyalists Author:Richard A. Falk
“Trump will have to take up juggling if he goes ahead and scraps the agreement with Iran and at the same time, seeks to avoid alienating Russia, and quite possibly France and Germany. These European countries are already nervous about what the Trump presidency means with respect to the future of the post-World War II international order that has essentially kept the peace on the continent since 1945. This order is far from perfect, of course, and under pressure from other sources, especially due to the rise of chauvinism and European Trumpism.” IfsWorldMeanWarCountryOrderCoursesPerfectSourceTrumpPressureInternationalDuesRussiaNervousFrancePostsWar Of The WorldsGermanyAgreementIranWorld War IiWorld War IContinentsPresidencyScrapUnder PressureEuropean CountriesJugglingChauvinism Author:Richard A. Falk
“In light of Trump's irresponsible behavior, even Putin may decide that it was time to recalculate Russian interests. This could happen quite quickly if Trump goes ahead and wrecks one of the few potentially stabilizing developments in the Middle East during the last several years. Similarly, if Israel joins NATO, this might be more than Putin is willing to swallow.” IfsYearsMayLightMightHappensLastsInterestMiddleWillingDevelopmentTrumpBehaviorIsraelEastMiddle EastPutinIrresponsibleWrecksNato Author:Richard A. Falk
“I am quite confident that there are numerous discussions going in various "deep states" throughout the world about how to contain Trump's America geopolitically and economically, given the early indications that his policies will intensify conflict in many parts of the world.” WorldStatesAmericaGivenPolicyTrumpConflictVariousDiscussionIndication Author:Richard A. Falk
“It is possible that, in fact, Trump's call for "America First" (despite evoking unpleasant recollections that such a phrase was the invention of those in the 1930s harboring fascist sympathies) and a positive relationship with Russia, might lead [to] a more relaxed global setting.” FirstsFactsMightAmericaTrumpRussiaInventionSettingDespiteSettingsPhrasesRelaxedRecollectionFascists1930sPositive Relationship Author:Richard A. Falk
“We should not rule out the possibility that Trump's diplomacy could deescalate Middle East strife and international tensions, give the US a lower global profile and enable a more balanced world order to emerge, doing most of its damage here at home, through moves to implement his vision of nativist nationalism.” WorldGivingShouldHomeMovingOrderVisionMiddlePossibilityTrumpInternationalEastDamageTensionNationalismMiddle EastBalancedStrifeDiplomacyProfileWorld Order Author:Richard A. Falk
“My own sense is that if David Friedman chooses to live in Jerusalem, and quietly conduct diplomatic business from the now existing US consulate in the city, it will not be noticed very much. It will not be treated as a rupture with the past unless it is accompanied by other American encouragements of Israeli extremism undertaken with the clear backing of the White House.” IfsPastHouseMy OwnWhiteCitiesClearEncouragementTreatedWhite HouseIsraeliExtremismJerusalemDiplomaticRupture Author:Richard A. Falk
“Any move by Israel to end the conflict with the Palestinians by unilateral moves - such as annexing the West Bank, delinking Gaza and declaring that there be no further diplomatic process - will lead to strong regional and global reactions, as well as intensify efforts at the UN and in civil society to brand Israel as an outlaw state dangerous to regional and world peace and guilty of criminal behavior.” WorldWellsEndsStatesMovingStrongProcessEffortDangerousConflictBehaviorWestIsraelCriminalsReactionsGuiltyBrandsPalestinianCivil SocietyDiplomaticOutlawGazaDeclaringCriminal Behavior Author:Richard A. Falk
“Already there exists a growing international concern that Israel has become "an apartheid state" pursuing policies manifesting a "settler colonial" mentality. Such perceptions pose a challenge to postcolonial international society that will not be indefinitely ignored, especially if Palestinians achieve greater unity and tactical focus.” IfsStatesChallengesGreaterFocusGrowingAchievePolicyPerceptionConcernUnityInternationalIsraelManifestMentalityPalestinianIgnoredApartheidTacticalSettlers Author:Richard A. Falk
“Since Israel would rather re-experience Masada than renounce the core Zionist objective of establishing a Jewish state, the only one-state "solution" on the horizon of realistic possibilities is an Israeli "one state" that fulfills the messianic nationalist ideal embraced by deep Zionism, likely consisting of completing the expansionist process of recent years by incorporating all or most of the West Bank, casting Gaza adrift, consolidating control over Jerusalem, and transferring as many West Bank Palestinians as possible to Jordan.” YearsStatesProcessPossibilitySolutionsIdealsWestIsraelCoreObjectivesHorizonRealisticPalestinianCastingIsraeliJordanJerusalemRenounceZionistGazaZionismCompletingAdriftIncorporating Author:Richard A. Falk
“It would seem to be the case that pressure on Iran to acquire nuclear weapons is almost totally driven by their need for a deterrent capability to avoid the fate of Iraq, Libya. The use of American military force in Syria thus sends exactly the opposite message as supposedly desired to the leadership in Tehran - and to others. North Korea has been dealt with diplomatically because it has the bomb and might use it if provoked.” IfsNeedsHas BeensUseSeemsMightForceCasesFateMilitaryMessagesWeaponsOppositesPressureIraqDrivenNuclearBombsAcquireIranCapabilityNuclear WeaponsSyriaKoreaNorth KoreaLibyaProvokedMilitary ForceDeterrentTehranAmerican MilitaryMight Use Author:Richard A. Falk
“As Gandhi famously responded when asked about "Western civilization," "I wish they had one," the same applies to "international community": "I wish there was one."” WishCommunityCivilizationWesternInternationalWestern CivilizationInternational Community Author:Richard A. Falk
“We live in a state-centric world faced with global-scale problems that cannot be met by the actions of single states, no matter how powerful, if assessed from the perspective of military capabilities.” IfsWorldMatterStatesProblemActionPowerfulMilitaryPerspectiveMetsScalesCapability Author:Richard A. Falk
“I think it is less the limited amount of information than the filters that information about the Middle East must pass through before being fairly addressed in the mainstream media. In more intellectual and geopolitical terms, the perceptions of the region are distorted by a combination of Orientalism and the priorities of the state of Israel, including the refusal to discuss the relevance of Israel's nuclear weapons arsenal in the context of addressing Iran on its nuclear program.” ThinkingStatesTermMiddleMediaInformationAmountPerceptionWeaponsIntellectualProgramIncludingIsraelEastNuclearPrioritiesCombinationRegionsIranMainstreamMiddle EastNuclear WeaponsRelevanceRefusalArsenalFiltersMainstream MediaGeopoliticalOrientalism Author:Richard A. Falk
“There is no doubt that this fusion of terrorist and Muslim feeds virulent forms of Islamophobia, which is also encouraged by such incidents as the Westgate Mall massacre in Nairobi and the Anglican Church bombing in Pakistan. 9/11 greatly intensified this tendency toward fusion, but it had also been nurtured by Israeli propaganda that portrayed their Palestinian and Arab adversaries as "terrorists." In fact, the US government approach after 9/11 was modeled in many of its features on Israeli tactics developed during the long occupation of Palestine.” LongFactsGovernmentFormChurchDoubtApproachTerroristTendenciesFeaturesPropagandaNo DoubtOccupationPalestinianPakistanPalestineTacticsIncidentsIsraeliAdversariesBombingMallsFusionMassacresIslamophobiaNairobi Author:Richard A. Falk
“To be a hegemon is inherently ambiguous, usually implying some mixture of dominance and legitimacy, that is, being seen as contributing global leadership in a generally benevolent manner.” MixturesContributingDominanceBenevolentAmbiguousLegitimacyImplying Author:Richard A. Falk
“As such the meaning of hegemony is subject to varying interpretations depending on how the historical role of the United States is interpreted.” StatesUnitedRolesUnited StatesSubjectsHistoricalInterpretationHegemony Author:Richard A. Falk
“After the Second World War, facilitating the establishment of the UN and aiding the reconstruction of Europe, the United States was widely viewed, at least in the West, as a benevolent hegemon. In the non-West, the US was often perceived as a supporter of the colonial powers in their struggle to maintain control over their colonial possessions, and was viewed far more critically, especially by emerging elites that were more inclined to socialist development paradigms than to the capitalist ethos favoured by Washington.” WorldWarStatesUnitedUnited StatesStruggleDevelopmentEuropeWestPossessionWar Of The WorldsEstablishmentCapitalistElitesSocialistSupporterEmergingParadigmSecond World WarBenevolentReconstructionEthos Author:Richard A. Falk
“More recently the US has more accurately been viewed as a militarist 'empire' that fights destructive wars and intervenes in a variety of societies, especially in the Middle East to retain control over oil reserves, and lends crucial support to Israel that not only oppresses the Palestinian people but threatens to convert the entire region into a war zone.” PeopleWarFightingSupportMiddleIsraelOilEastVarietyDestructiveZoneEmpiresRegionsCrucialMiddle EastPalestinianReservesWar Zones Author:Richard A. Falk
“At present, the United States, with over 700 foreign military bases, navies in every ocean, a programme to militarise space, and drone bases planned for all regions of the world, is increasingly perceived in relation to its hard power diplomacy, a threat to political independence and stability for many countries.” WorldCountryHardStatesPoliticalSpaceUnitedUnited StatesMilitaryOceanBasesRelationIndependenceThreatRegionsStabilityDiplomacyNavyProgrammesDronesMilitary BasesPolitical Independence Author:Richard A. Falk
“America is perhaps best viewed as an 'authoritarian democracy' within its own territory and as 'a global state' of a new kind when considered internationally.” KindStatesAmericaDemocracyTerritory Author:Richard A. Falk
“Historically, international law lent a measure of legality to the colonial system, and allowed the West to set the rules for participation as a sovereign state on a global level. It also protected the interests of foreign investment in countries of the global South even when these were exploitative, and deprived countries of the benefits of resources situated within their territories.” CountryStatesLawInterestLevelsBenefitsResourcesWestInvestmentSouthInternationalTerritoryProtectedSovereignParticipationDeprivedInternational LawLegality Author:Richard A. Falk
“The idea of self-determination was gradually given credibility by international law, and it lent strong emancipatory support to movements of liberation struggling against a West-centric world order. Latin American countries used international law creatively, both to limit the protection of foreign investment by establishing the primacy of national sovereignty in relation to natural resources, and by building support for the norm on non-intervention in internal affairs.” WorldIdeasSelfCountryLawUsedOrderStrongGivenNaturalSupportStruggleMovementBuildingLimitsResourcesDeterminationRelationWestInvestmentAffairInternationalProtectionLiberationInternalsLatinSelf DeterminationSovereigntyNormInterventionCredibilityLatin AmericaNatural ResourcesWorld OrderInternational LawLatin AmericanPrimacyInternal AffairsNational Sovereignty Author:Richard A. Falk
“Both Israel and the United States have mounted attacks on 'lawfare', that is, counter-hegemonic uses of international law to question policies associated with the occupation of Palestine and criminal tactics of warfare.” StatesUseLawUnitedUnited StatesPolicyInternationalIsraelCriminalsOccupationWarfarePalestineTacticsInternational Law Author:Richard A. Falk
“Human rights and international criminal law both illustrate the contradictory potential of international law. On one level, the imposition of human rights norms is a restraint on interventionary diplomacy, especially if coupled with respect for the legal norm of self-determination. But on another level, the protection of human rights creates a pretext for intervention as given approval by the UN Security Council in the form of the R2P (responsibility to protect) norm, as used in the 2011 Libyan intervention. The same applies with international criminal accountability.” IfsHumansSelfFormLawUsedGivenLevelsResponsibilityRightsSecurityProtectDeterminationInternationalHuman RightsProtectionCriminalsAccountabilitySelf DeterminationApprovalRestraintNormDiplomacyCouncilInterventionContradictoryPretextInternational LawImpositionSecurity CouncilCriminal LawResponsibility To Protect Author:Richard A. Falk
