Commerce has changed the ethics of citizenship and the incentives for national service. America now buys private contractors - we used to call them mercenaries - to do the country's fighting.
Michael IgnatieffRead
Genocide is not just a murderous madness; it is, more deeply, a politics that promises a utopia beyond politics - one people, one land, one truth, the end of difference. Since genocide is a form of political utopia, it remains an enduring temptation in any multiethnic and multicultural society in crisis.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Genocide is a political drive disguised as a pursuit for a perfect society, leading to the suppression of diversity.
In this quote, Michael Ignatieff eloquently articulates that genocide is not merely characterized by violent madness but is deeply rooted in a political ideology that seeks a homogeneous society. This ideology promises an idyllic future devoid of differences, making it a persistent lure for societies grappling with ethnic and cultural turmoil.
Themes
GenocidePoliticsUtopiaMulticulturalismDiversity
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the dangers of extreme nationalism, this quote can highlight the underlying risks of pursuing a singular identity.
More from Michael Ignatieff
All quotes →Desert Storm created the pattern for the American way of war that eventually prevailed in Kosovo. America learned from Vietnam that unilateral use of force eventually forfeits international legitimacy and domestic support. Desert Storm demonstrated the political necessity of coalition warfare.
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Communism may be over as an economic system, but as a model of state domination, it is very much alive in the People's Republic of China and in Putin's police state.
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Trouble is, we call politics a game, but it isn't one. There is no referee, and the teams make up the rules as they go along. You can't cry foul or offside in politics. Almost anything goes.
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Those with a gift for action, for their part, often express contempt for those whose gifts are more reflective. Men of action like to say, 'Those who can, do, those who can't, teach,' forgetting that those who teach get to write the history books.
Michael IgnatieffRead
How do you keep war accountable to the American people when war becomes invisible and virtual?
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