--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The West has to take a critical look at…" description: "\"“The West has to take a critical look at itself and examine the apparent double standards at work that allow it to attack Iraq for possessing weapons o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/kathy-gannon-252539_afghanistan-war_the-west-has-to-take-a-critical-look-at_2421456.jpg" --- # The West has to take a critical look at itself and examine… ![“The West has to take a critical look at itself and examine the apparent double standards at work that allow it to attack Iraq for possessing weapons of mass destruction but not North Korea, whose leader shared Saddam Hussein's megalomaniacal qualities; that permit it to rail against Iran about…” quote by Kathy Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/kathy-gannon-252539_afghanistan-war_the-west-has-to-take-a-critical-look-at_2421456.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/kathy-gannon-252539_afghanistan-war_the-west-has-to-take-a-critical-look-at_2421456.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/kathy-gannon-252539_afghanistan-war_the-west-has-to-take-a-critical-look-at_2421456.jpg) > ““The West has to take a critical look at itself and examine the apparent double standards at work that allow it to attack Iraq for possessing weapons of mass destruction but not North Korea, whose leader shared Saddam Hussein's megalomaniacal qualities; that permit it to rail against Iran about nuclear weapons but be silent about Israel's arsenal; that allow it to only selectively demand enforcement of UN resolutions. The West has to own up to the mistakes it has made: such as with Abu Ghraib and the torture in Afghan prisons; in the errant attacks on civilians; in its disregard for the basic precept of a civilized legal system, which maintains that an accused person is innocent until proven guilty.”” [Kathy Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-gannon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The West must confront its double standards in foreign policy, acknowledging past mistakes and inconsistencies. **In simple terms:** West needs to own its hypocrisy and errors. Key Takeaway Demand honest self‑assessment. Themes politics ethics double standards Mood critical concerned When to use this quote - policy analysis - human rights advocacy - media commentary Key Concepts imperialism accountability Questions to Reflect On - What biases influence your view of the West? - How can nations enforce consistent standards? A Different Perspective Complex geopolitics resist simple judgments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afghanistan-war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan-war-4465/) [Civilians Disregard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilians-disregard-6129445/) [Double standards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/double-standards/) [Iraq Possessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq-possessing-6129446/) [Legal system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legal-system/) [Middle east conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-east-conflict/) [North korea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-korea/) [Nuclear weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear-weapons/) [Terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorism/) [Weapons of mass destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons-of-mass-destruction/) [West Critical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west-critical-4345670/) [West Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west-mistakes-6129444/) ## Related quotes > [A lot of Chinese don't understand why people in the West are critical of China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/a-lot-of-chinese-don-t-understand-why-people-in-the-west-are-critical/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Before the thunderous clamor of political debate or war set loose in the world, love insisted on its promise for the possibility of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/before-the-thunderous-clamor-of-political-debate-or-war-set-loose-in/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [“My personal position on counterinsurgency in general, and on Iraq and Afghanistan in particular, could therefore be summarized as "Never again, but..." 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He opened his compass and took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-young/ice-pellets-made-ticking-noises-as-they-fell-gathering-in-the-folds/) [Tom Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-young/) > [“In an age of bombs guzzling blood, skylarks merge peace with thought and action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/in-an-age-of-bombs-guzzling-blood-skylarks-merge-peace-with-thought/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [“I disagreed with the conduct of the war, with bombing civilians, categorizing everyone as the enemy or simply as armed men, with the racism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-glenton/i-disagreed-with-the-conduct-of-the-war-with-bombing-civilians/) [Joe Glenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-glenton/) > [We usually speak of the Jewish-Christian civilization - perhaps, the time has come, especially with regard to the Middle East conflict, to talk about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/we-usually-speak-of-the-jewish-christian-civilization-perhaps-the/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [“The recent renewal of hostilities in the Middle East and cross-border casualties and damage prove once again the fragility of unilateral decisions and quick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mouloud-benzadi/the-recent-renewal-of-hostilities-in-the-middle-east-and-cross-border/) [Mouloud Benzadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mouloud-benzadi/) > [“What is the death of a soldier even off duty of an occupying army walking in an occupied territory against the death of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-grant/what-is-the-death-of-a-soldier-even-off-duty-of-an-occupying-army/) [Linda Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-grant/) > [Vietnam is a jungle. You had jungle warfare. Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, you have sand. \[There is no need to worry about a protracted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/vietnam-is-a-jungle-you-had-jungle-warfare-kuwait-iraq-saudi-arabia/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) > [“The Iraqi sun quickly heated the air to an unbearable one hundred twenty three degree’s, causing an unquenchable thirst to boil up in him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ferreolus/the-iraqi-sun-quickly-heated-the-air-to-an-unbearable-one-hundred/) [Thomas Ferreolus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ferreolus/) > [“We have become Gabriel's nightmare and Satan's fantasy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osama-wazan/we-have-become-gabriel-s-nightmare-and-satan-s-fantasy/) [Osama Wazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osama-wazan/) > [“As long as we continue to search for enemies anywhere but inside ourselves, there will always be a Middle East problem. Religion is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mosab-hassan-yousef/as-long-as-we-continue-to-search-for-enemies-anywhere-but-inside/) [Mosab Hassan Yousef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mosab-hassan-yousef/) ## More Afghanistan-war quotes > [Before the thunderous clamor of political debate or war set loose in the world, love insisted on its promise for the possibility of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/before-the-thunderous-clamor-of-political-debate-or-war-set-loose-in/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [“I disagreed with the conduct of the war, with bombing civilians, categorizing everyone as the enemy or simply as armed men, with the racism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-glenton/i-disagreed-with-the-conduct-of-the-war-with-bombing-civilians/) [Joe Glenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-glenton/) > [“Ice pellets made ticking noises as they fell, gathering in the folds of Parson's coat like spilled salt. 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