“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“In the Goldstone Report, Israeli perpetrators of possible crimes against humanity were made subject to prosecution and punishment, although the geopolitical leverage of the United States within the UN prevents implementation. At the same time, several African leaders are being prosecuted for their crimes against humanity and participation in genocide: a double standard of sorts, given the impunity accorded to the West and Israel.” MadeStatesHumanityGivenUnitedLeaderUnited StatesSubjectsCrimeStandardsWestIsraelPunishmentReportsGenocideParticipationIsraeliDouble StandardImpunityImplementationPerpetratorsProsecutionCrimes Against HumanityGeopolitical Author:Richard A. Falk
“There was a deliberate decision after the failure of the League of Nations to make the next attempt to establish a global political actor sensitive to geopolitical realities. The underlying idea was to provide major states, defined in 1945 by reference to the winners in the Second World War (now an anachronism), with assurance that they could take part in the UN without jeopardising their national interests. In this regard, the UN has succeeded, as none of the big countries has withdrawn, and the Organisation has managed to achieve virtually universal membership of all sovereign states.” WorldIdeasWarCountryStatesBigsRealityPoliticalNextActorsNationsInterestDecisionAchieveMajorsUniversalRegardDefinedWinnerLeagueSensitiveWar Of The WorldsSovereignAssuranceDeliberateOrganisationSecond World WarMembershipNational InterestsGeopoliticalAnachronismLeague Of Nations Author:Richard A. Falk
“As matters now stand, the veto seems inappropriate, given the absence of any deep ideological split between major states, and definitely constrains the war-prevention mission of the UN. Similarly, the present permanent five are out of touch with geopolitical realities, and constitute a remnant of a West-centric world order, casting a shadow of illegitimacy across the activities of the most important organ of global policymaking in the UN System.” WorldImportantWarMatterStatesRealitySeemsOrderGivenFiveActivityMajorsShadowWestMissionsAbsencePermanentOrgansSplitsCastingIdeologicalWorld OrderInappropriatePreventionRemnantsConstrainVetoGeopolitical Author:Richard A. Falk
“To achieve effectiveness and legitimacy it is time to scrap the right of veto given to permanent members of the UN, or at least severely restrict its use. It is also time to either abandon the idea of permanent membership or broaden it to reflect the rise of non-Western states to the status of global leaders (e.g. Brazil, India, Indonesia, Turkey, South Africa), and to downgrade European representation by either giving the European Union a single seat or rotating a European state among Germany, France, UK, and Italy.” GivingIdeasStatesUseGivenLeaderAchieveMembersIndiaUnionsSouthWesternFrancePermanentGermanySeatsAbandonSouth AfricaRepresentationTurkeysIndonesiaEffectivenessEuropean UnionScrapBrazilMembershipLegitimacyVetoRotating Author:Richard A. Falk
“There are degrees of incompatibility, and there are more factors relevant to upholding democracy and human rights than the operation of neoliberal markets. Perhaps this point can be initially made by reference to the decline of democracy and the erosion of human rights within the United States since the 9/11 attacks.” HumansMadeStatesUnitedUnited StatesDemocracyRightsDegreesHuman RightsFactorsOperationsRelevantDeclineErosionIncompatibilityDemocracy And Human Rights Author:Richard A. Falk
“Cumulatively, American society is sliding toward a new form of 'authoritarian democracy'. Elections continue, free speech is generally protected, institutions operate in accordance with the Constitution, but the reality of state - society relations is dramatically altered by the counter-terrorist claims of emergency rule and the right of exception.” StatesRealityFormDemocracySpeechConstitutionClaimsRelationElectionInstitutionsTerroristExceptionProtectedFree SpeechEmergenciesAlteredAmerican Society Author:Richard A. Falk
“Post-1989 capitalism was far more unfriendly to economic and social rights than was the prior capitalism seeking to win public approval as a more compassionate economic arrangement than that which prevailed in state socialist economies.” StatesWinningSocialEconomyRightsEconomicCapitalismSeekingPostsCompassionateApprovalSocialistArrangementsUnfriendlySocialist Economy Author:Richard A. Falk
“The deliberate weakening of the labour movement by the machinations of market fundamentalists, gaining momentum during the periods when Margaret Thatcher led the United Kingdom and Ronald Reagan governed in the United States, contributed to the decline of human rights.” HumansStatesUnitedUnited StatesRightsMovementPeriodsHuman RightsKingdomsLabourDeclineDeliberateMomentumUnited KingdomWeakeningLabour Movement Author:Richard A. Falk
“This issue of expanding the reach of international criminal law by reliance on the use of Universal Jurisdiction by domestic courts needs to be balanced against the injustice of according impunity to those with strong geopolitical backing. It is notable that several western European countries backtracked on UJ after threats of retaliatory moves by the United States and Israel. There is no doubt that the domain of UJ is a geopolitical battleground.” NeedsCountryStatesUseMovingLawStrongUnitedUnited StatesIssuesDoubtUniversalCourtThreatWesternInjusticeInternationalIsraelCriminalsNo DoubtBalancedExpandingDomainRelianceNotableImpunityEuropean CountriesJurisdictionCriminal LawBattlegroundGeopolitical Author:Richard A. Falk
“On the cautionary side, Universal Jurisdiction could be used to achieve some kind of ideologically motivated criminalisation of 'the other' that would discredit and derail a constructive effort to develop a credible meta-law that governs the behaviour of leaders of sovereign states.” KindStatesLawUsedSidesEffortLeaderAchieveUniversalMotivatedBehaviourSovereignConstructiveCredibleDiscreditJurisdiction Author:Richard A. Falk
“It should be appreciated that this whole effort to hold leaders of states criminally responsible is a rather radical challenge to territorial sovereignty and a repudiation of the whole related ethos of 'sovereign immunity'.” ShouldStatesWholeChallengesEffortLeaderResponsibleRadicalRelatedSovereignSovereigntyAppreciatedEthosImmunityTerritorial Author:Richard A. Falk
“It may be that there is so much ambiguity and ideology attached to the term 'terrorism' that it is best to avoid its use altogether, as it is likely to be twisted in public discourse to demonise the enemies of the established order, while exempting state violence from legal and moral scrutiny.” MayStatesUseOrderTermMoralEnemyViolenceTerrorismIdeologyDiscourseTwistedAmbiguityScrutinyPublic Discourse Author:Richard A. Falk
“It was a step forward to charge Pinochet with terrorism, and to acknowledge that the essence of the crime is the use of political violence to induce great fear in society and against those who are innocent, and not just such violence that is directed against the state by opposition groups.” StatesUsePoliticalStepsViolenceGroupsCrimeEssenceTerrorismInnocentAcknowledgeOppositionSteps ForwardPolitical ViolencePinochet Author:Richard A. Falk
“It would not be desirable to include 'terrorism' among international crimes subject to International Criminal Court jurisdiction if defined to apply only to anti-state acts of violence. The failure to include terrorism as a distinct crime was due to the inability to agree upon its proper definition.” IfsStatesViolenceSubjectsCrimeAgreeCourtInternationalDefinitionsTerrorismDuesCriminalsDefinedDesirableInabilityActs Of ViolenceJurisdictionAgree Upon Author:Richard A. Falk
