--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [I]f you think that American imperialism…" description: "\"[I]f you think that American imperialism and its globalised, capitalist form is the most dangerous thing in the world, that means you don't think the I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/christopher-hitchens-117_afghanistan_i-f-you-think-that-american-imperialism_2814778.jpg" --- # \[I\]f you think that American imperialism and its… ![“[I]f you think that American imperialism and its globalised, capitalist form is the most dangerous thing in the world, that means you don't think the Islamic Republic of Iran or North Korea or the Taliban is as bad.” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/christopher-hitchens-117_afghanistan_i-f-you-think-that-american-imperialism_2814778.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/christopher-hitchens-117_afghanistan_i-f-you-think-that-american-imperialism_2814778.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/christopher-hitchens-117_afghanistan_i-f-you-think-that-american-imperialism_2814778.jpg) > “\[I\]f you think that American imperialism and its globalised, capitalist form is the most dangerous thing in the world, that means you don't think the Islamic Republic of Iran or North Korea or the Taliban is as bad.” [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Labeling one threat as worst can blind us to other serious dangers. **In simple terms:** Focusing on a single danger ignores others. Key Takeaway Assess all global risks objectively. Themes geopolitics danger objectivity Mood critical analytical Type philosophical inquisitive When to use this quote - policy analysis - security strategy Key Concepts international relations critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - What criteria determine threat severity? - How can balanced assessment improve safety? A Different Perspective Bias can skew policy decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afghanistan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) [American imperialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-imperialism/) [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Imperialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperialism/) [Iran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iran/) [Islamic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islamic/) [Korea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/korea/) [North korea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-korea/) [Republic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/republic/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [An intelligence that is not humane is the most dangerous thing in the world .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/an-intelligence-that-is-not-humane-is-the-most-dangerous-thing-in-the/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) > [Love is the most dangerous thing in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-beals/love-is-the-most-dangerous-thing-in-the-world/) [Jennifer Beals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-beals/) > [“It is truth, in the old saying, that is 'the daughter of time,' and the lapse of half a century has not left us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-is-truth-in-the-old-saying-that-is-the-daughter-of-time-and-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“A local phrase book, entitled Speak in Korean , has the following handy expressions. In the section 'On the Way to the Hotel': 'Let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/a-local-phrase-book-entitled-speak-in-korean-has-the-following-handy/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Some say that because the United States was wrong before, it cannot possibly be right now, or has not the right to be right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/some-say-that-because-the-united-states-was-wrong-before-it-cannot/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [We are not anti-American. We do not dislike Americans though we abhor American imperialism in all its manifestations. But then, so do many Americans.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-douglas/we-are-not-anti-american-we-do-not-dislike-americans-though-we-abhor/) [Tommy Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-douglas/) > [“Israel's demonstration of its military prowess in 1967 confirmed its status as a 'strategic asset,' as did its moves to prevent Syrian intervention in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/israel-s-demonstration-of-its-military-prowess-in-1967-confirmed-its/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [As a black woman, my politics and political affiliation are bound up with and flow from participation in my people's struggle for liberation, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-davis/as-a-black-woman-my-politics-and-political-affiliation-are-bound-up/) [Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-davis/) > [“The two main criminals are France and the United States. They owe Haiti enormous reparations because of actions going back hundreds of years. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-two-main-criminals-are-france-and-the-united-states-they-owe/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Today, in American imperialism, the commodity has reached its most grandiose historical manifestation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-l-r-james/today-in-american-imperialism-the-commodity-has-reached-its-most/) [C. L. R. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-l-r-james/) > [Theres no hope, none, of ever talking about it without pissing somebody, if not everybody, off...By the end of this hour I will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/theres-no-hope-none-of-ever-talking-about-it-without-pissing-somebody/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [It is important to eliminate the stigma created by American imperialism and its allies regarding the Cuban political system. That stigma must be eliminated.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/it-is-important-to-eliminate-the-stigma-created-by-american/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-am-an-anti-imperialist-i-am-opposed-to-having-the-eagle-put-its/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Canada's ruling circles seek to ally themselves more closely with American imperialism without giving up the economic advantages of membership in the British Empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-buck/canada-s-ruling-circles-seek-to-ally-themselves-more-closely-with/) [Tim Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-buck/) > [American imperialism has always been the imperialism that has been frightened of speaking its name. Now it's beginning to do so. In a way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/american-imperialism-has-always-been-the-imperialism-that-has-been/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) ## More by Christopher Hitchens > [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Many governments employ torture but this was the first time that the element of Saturnalia and pornography in the process had been made so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-governments-employ-torture-but-this-was-the-first-time-that-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [To be against rationalization is not the same as to be opposed to reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/to-be-against-rationalization-is-not-the-same-as-to-be-opposed-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. 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Why are we praised by godly men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/gullibility-and-credulity-are-considered-undesireable-qualities-in/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's much worse to see a woman drunk than a man: I don't know quite why this is true but it just is. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-much-worse-to-see-a-woman-drunk-than-a-man-i-don-t-know-quite/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's true that obscenity is a matter of taste and in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-true-that-obscenity-is-a-matter-of-taste-and-in-the-eye-of-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I worked out early on to give up things I couldn't do well at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-worked-out-early-on-to-give-up-things-i-couldn-t-do-well-at-all/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Writing is what's important to me, and anything that helps me do that - or enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/writing-is-what-s-important-to-me-and-anything-that-helps-me-do-that/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) [Explore all 1,241 Christopher Hitchens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More Afghanistan quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [They're criminals, they brutalized Afghanistan, they killed our people, they destroyed our land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamid-karzai/they-re-criminals-they-brutalized-afghanistan-they-killed-our-people/) [Hamid Karzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamid-karzai/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The terrorist attacks of September 11th and the courageous actions of our armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq remind us that friends of tyranny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-levin/the-terrorist-attacks-of-september-11th-and-the-courageous-actions-of/) [Carl Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-levin/) > [According to a recent Harvard study, $6 trillion, when you include the ongoing healthcare expenses for our wounded soldiers, which is the least they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/according-to-a-recent-harvard-study-6-trillion-when-you-include-the/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [You don't bargain with terrorists. You don't appease terrorists. And anybody who believes that this is about something we've done has to ask themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/you-don-t-bargain-with-terrorists-you-don-t-appease-terrorists-and/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [“I stood with my mom in the cemetery. She felt terrible pain. My grandmother is with God. My mom has to continue living. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-stood-with-my-mom-in-the-cemetery-she-felt-terrible-pain-my/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [The most successful cultural diplomacy strategy integrates people-to-people or arts/culture/media-to-people interactions into the basic business of diplomacy. The programs in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-p-schneider/the-most-successful-cultural-diplomacy-strategy-integrates-people-to/) [Cynthia P. Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-p-schneider/) > [Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/because-iran-understands-afghanistan-far-better-than-americans-do/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Thousands of Americans have given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq upholding their oaths and defending this nation. Chelsea Manning broke her oath and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/thousands-of-americans-have-given-their-lives-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [I have been to Afghanistan many times, even before the Taliban collapsed. I was fascinated by the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-khan/i-have-been-to-afghanistan-many-times-even-before-the-taliban/) [Kabir Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-khan/) > [There has been sort of, if you will, a moral interventionism on the part of the United States trying to reshape countries in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/there-has-been-sort-of-if-you-will-a-moral-interventionism-on-the/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The legal system in Afghanistan is very immature and porous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/the-legal-system-in-afghanistan-is-very-immature-and-porous/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) [Browse all 1,159 Afghanistan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[I]f you think that American imperialism and its globalised, capitalist form is the most dangerous thing in the world, that means you don't think the Islamic Republic of Iran or North Korea or the Taliban is as bad.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Hitchens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-f-you-think-that-american-imperialism-and-its-globalised-capitalist/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afghanistan" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-f-you-think-that-american-imperialism-and-its-globalised-capitalist/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/christopher-hitchens-117_afghanistan_i-f-you-think-that-american-imperialism_2814778.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/christopher-hitchens-117_afghanistan_i-f-you-think-that-american-imperialism_2814778.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/christopher-hitchens-117_afghanistan_i-f-you-think-that-american-imperialism_2814778.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[I]f you think that American imperialism and its globalised, capitalist form is the most dangerous thing in…” — Christopher Hitchens", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Christopher Hitchens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "[I]f you think that American imperialism...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-f-you-think-that-american-imperialism-and-its-globalised-capitalist/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-f-you-think-that-american-imperialism-and-its-globalised-capitalist/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```