--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many of the points made by the antiwar…" description: "\"Many of the points made by the antiwar movement have been consciously assimilated by the Pentagon and its lawyers and advisers. Precision weaponry is g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce0/christopher-hitchens-117_ability_many-of-the-points-made-by-the-antiwar-m_2162211.jpg" --- # Many of the points made by the antiwar movement have been… ![“Many of the points made by the antiwar movement have been consciously assimilated by the Pentagon and its lawyers and advisers. Precision weaponry is good in itself, but its ability to discriminate is improving and will continue to improve. Cluster bombs are perhaps not good in themselves, but…” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce0/christopher-hitchens-117_ability_many-of-the-points-made-by-the-antiwar-m_2162211.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce0/christopher-hitchens-117_ability_many-of-the-points-made-by-the-antiwar-m_2162211.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce0/christopher-hitchens-117_ability_many-of-the-points-made-by-the-antiwar-m_2162211.jpg) > “Many of the points made by the antiwar movement have been consciously assimilated by the Pentagon and its lawyers and advisers. Precision weaponry is good in itself, but its ability to discriminate is improving and will continue to improve. Cluster bombs are perhaps not good in themselves, but when they are dropped on identifiable concentrations of Taliban troops, they do have a heartening effect.” [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. The Pentagon adopts antiwar arguments to justify advanced weapons, which become more precise and can target specific enemy groups, making them seem morally acceptable. **In simple terms:** The military uses antiwar ideas to legitimize better weapons that target specific foes. Key Takeaway Recognize how rhetoric can reshape ethical views on warfare. Themes war ethics military strategy technology public discourse Mood critical analytical concerned Type political ethical strategic When to use this quote - policy debates - military planning - human rights advocacy - media analysis Key Concepts Just war theory moral hazard weapon discrimination Questions to Reflect On - How does language influence acceptance of new weapons? - Can precision ever fully justify lethal force? A Different Perspective Improved precision does not eliminate civilian harm or moral concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Antiwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antiwar/) [Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [Concentration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration/) [Lawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Pentagon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pentagon/) [Precision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precision/) [Troops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/troops/) [Weaponry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weaponry/) ## Related quotes > [Cluster bombs are perhaps not good in themselves, but when they are dropped on identifiable concentrations of Taliban troops, they do have a heartening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/cluster-bombs-are-perhaps-not-good-in-themselves-but-when-they-are/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Democracy never comes by the barrel of a gun, or by cluster bombs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malalai-joya/democracy-never-comes-by-the-barrel-of-a-gun-or-by-cluster-bombs/) [Malalai Joya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malalai-joya/) > [ The decision to attack the entire nation \[of Yugoslavia\] has been counterproductive, and our destruction of civilian life has now become senseless and excessively… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/the-decision-to-attack-the-entire-nation-of-yugoslavia-has-been/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [“Not a fire of passion, not a ravaging fire, but something paralyzing, like the fire of cluster bombs that suck up the oxygen around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/not-a-fire-of-passion-not-a-ravaging-fire-but-something-paralyzing/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [In a sense the world dies every time a writer dies, because, if he is any good, he has been a wet nurse to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/in-a-sense-the-world-dies-every-time-a-writer-dies-because-if-he-is/) [E. 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A cluster of vapor, the cream of the milky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/it-shows-you-exactly-how-a-star-is-formed-nothing-else-can-be-so/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) ## 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. 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