Richard A. Falk Quotes

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• The existing order is breaking down at a very rapid rate, and the main uncertainty is whether mankind can exert a positive role in shaping a new world order or is doomed to await collapse in a passive posture. We believe a new orderwill be born no later than early in the next century and that the death throes of the old and the birth pangs of the new will be a testing time for the human species.

  Richard A. Falk

  Believe, Order, Nwo

  46 Copy quote

• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  Country, Law, Benefits

  Source: www.counterpunch.org

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• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  Doe, Labels, Use

  Source: www.truth-out.org

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• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  Order, Enemy, Violence

  Source: www.counterpunch.org

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• The central task of our time is to evolve a new system of world order based on principles of peace and justice.

  Richard A. Falk

  Order, Justice, Principles

  Richard A. Falk (1983). “The end of world order: essays on normative international relations”, Holmes & Meier Publishers

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• 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."

  Richard A. Falk

  Civilization, Community, Wish

  Source: www.truth-out.org

  4 Copy quote

• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  America, Atmosphere, Islam

  Source: www.truth-out.org

  8 Copy quote

• The main challenge is what to do in the face of double standards. Those who should be rendered accountable under international criminal law, the Kissingers of this world, enjoy de facto impunity, while those who come from countries that have long been targets of hegemonic abuse are used as poster children of accountability.

  Richard A. Falk

  Country, Children, Law

  Source: www.counterpunch.org

  9 Copy quote

• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  Military, Fate, Iran

  Source: www.truth-out.org

  4 Copy quote

• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  Moving, Home, Order

  Source: www.truth-out.org

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• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  Strong, Moving, Israel

  Source: www.truth-out.org

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• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  Israel, Years, Horizon

  Source: www.truth-out.org

  5 Copy quote

• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  Country, Military, Ocean

  Source: www.counterpunch.org

  5 Copy quote

• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  Son, Science, Thinking

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• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  America, Democracy, Territory

  Source: www.counterpunch.org

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• The fact that Universal Jurisdiction exists in relation to serious international crimes does convey two important aspects of the global reality: first, that such individuals would be held accountable if international law was applied without regard to geopolitics, and second, that there is enough ambiguity about the reach of UJ that it inhibits such individuals and conveys an impression of de facto criminality.

  Richard A. Falk

  Reality, Law, Two

  Source: www.counterpunch.org

  6 Copy quote

• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  Mixtures, Dominance, Legitimacy

  Source: www.counterpunch.org

  8 Copy quote

• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  Science, Research, Half

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• 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?".

  Richard A. Falk

  Mother, Science, Giving

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• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  Capitalist Economy, Practice, Understanding

  Source: www.truth-out.org

  4 Copy quote

• The Method of Bisection is a sophisticated version of a tool used in fifth grade called "Guess and Check".

  Richard A. Falk

  Science, Tools, Fifth Grade

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• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  Depressing, Science, Asking

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• I don't like to end my talk with a 700 million dollar loss, even if it shows the importance of Numerical Analysis.

  Richard A. Falk

  Science, Loss, Dollars

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• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  Country, Strong, Moving

  Source: www.counterpunch.org

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• 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.

  Richard A. Falk

  Turkeys, Ideas, Effectiveness

  Source: www.counterpunch.org

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