--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: George Kennan is another extreme case. He…" description: "\"George Kennan is another extreme case. He was the American consul in Berlin until the war between Germany and the United States broke out in December 1..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40d/noam-chomsky-42_agree_george-kennan-is-another-extreme-case-he_1439784.jpg" --- # George Kennan is another extreme case. He was the American… ![“George Kennan is another extreme case. He was the American consul in Berlin until the war between Germany and the United States broke out in December 1941. And until then he was writing pretty supportive statements back stressing that we shouldn't be so hard on the Nazis if they were doing…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40d/noam-chomsky-42_agree_george-kennan-is-another-extreme-case-he_1439784.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40d/noam-chomsky-42_agree_george-kennan-is-another-extreme-case-he_1439784.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40d/noam-chomsky-42_agree_george-kennan-is-another-extreme-case-he_1439784.jpg) > “George Kennan is another extreme case. He was the American consul in Berlin until the war between Germany and the United States broke out in December 1941. And until then he was writing pretty supportive statements back stressing that we shouldn't be so hard on the Nazis if they were doing something we didn't agree with - basically repeating the idea that they were people we could do business with.” [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques a diplomat’s willingness to engage with morally questionable regimes, emphasizing pragmatic over ethical considerations. **In simple terms:** Engaging with hostile powers for pragmatic reasons can ignore moral costs. Key Takeaway Balance pragmatism with ethical responsibility. Themes diplomacy ethics realpolitik history war Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - foreign policy decisions - wartime negotiations - government communications Key Concepts Moral philosophy international relations strategic compromise Questions to Reflect On - When should moral standards override strategic interests? - How can diplomats maintain integrity? A Different Perspective Pragmatism may enable complicity in wrongdoing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/berlin/) [December](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/december/) [Extremes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremes/) [Germany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/germany/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Nazi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nazi/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“It was all because of the Berlin Wall. 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