“Think of civil society and the state as joined in a marriage of necessity. You already know who the wife is, the one who is supposed to love, cherish and obey: that's civil society. Think of the state as the domineering husband who expects to have a monopoly on power, on violence, on planning and policymaking.” ThinkingKnowsStatesWifeViolenceHusbandPlanningCherishMonopolyCivil Society Author:Rebecca Solnit
“Well before September 11, it was understood that with modern technology, the rich and powerful will lose their near monopoly of the means of violence and can expect to suffer atrocities on home soil.” WellsMeanHomeSufferingLosesPowerfulTechnologyRichViolenceModernUnderstoodSoilSeptemberMonopolySeptember 11AtrocitiesModern Technology Author:Noam Chomsky
“Power depends ultimately on physical force. By teaching people that violence is wrong (except, of course, when the system itself uses violence via the police or the military), the system maintains its monopoly on physical force and thus keeps all power in its own hands.” PeopleUseHandsCoursesForceViolenceTeachingMilitaryDependsPoliceMonopolyPhysical Force Book:Technological Slavery: The Collected Writings of Theodore J. Kaczynski, a.k.a. Source: Technological Slavery: The Collected Writings of Theodore J. Kaczynski, a.k.a.
“Islam doesn't have a monopoly on violence in Africa. And violence plays a particularly critical role in places where statehood is weak at best, such as the Maghreb.” PlayRolesViolenceWeakIslamCriticalMonopoly Author:Eliza Griswold
“If you speak [ about violence against Israelis], you are in an unspeakable place, have become a Nazi or its moral equivalent (if there is a moral equivalent). It certainly terrifies, but perhaps also it is a linguistic permutation of state terrorism, an assault that stops one in one's tracks, and secures the continuing operation of the regime and its monopoly on politically intelligible speech.” IfsStatesSpeakMoralViolenceSpeechTrackTerrorismOperationsRegimesContinuingNaziAssaultMonopolyUnspeakable Author:Judith Butler
“If the State does not enjoy a monopoly of violence, which then gives it the power to order people's lives and to compel them to obey decisions over which they have no control, or just limited control, then I think you have a consistently libertarian society.” PeopleIfsThinkingGivingDoeStatesOrderEnjoyDecisionViolenceLibertarianConsistentlyMonopoly Author:Murray Bookchin
“The State is a professional apparatus that sets itself apart from the people and apart from the institutions that the people themselves create. It's a monopoly on violence that manages and institutionalizes social activities. The people are perfectly capable of managing themselves and creating their own institutions.” PeopleStatesSocialViolenceActivityCreatingCapableInstitutionsManageMonopoly Author:Murray Bookchin