--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can understand the idea that there is a…" description: "\"I can understand the idea that there is a conspiracy. In fact, in much of the world there is a sense of an ultra-powerful CIA manipulating everything t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/noam-chomsky-42_arab-spring_i-can-understand-the-idea-that-there-is_2781403.jpg" --- # I can understand the idea that there is a conspiracy. In… ![“I can understand the idea that there is a conspiracy. In fact, in much of the world there is a sense of an ultra-powerful CIA manipulating everything that happens, such as running the Arab Spring, running the Pakistani Taliban, etc. That is just nonsense. They [CIA] created a monster and now they…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/noam-chomsky-42_arab-spring_i-can-understand-the-idea-that-there-is_2781403.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/noam-chomsky-42_arab-spring_i-can-understand-the-idea-that-there-is_2781403.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/noam-chomsky-42_arab-spring_i-can-understand-the-idea-that-there-is_2781403.jpg) > “I can understand the idea that there is a conspiracy. In fact, in much of the world there is a sense of an ultra-powerful CIA manipulating everything that happens, such as running the Arab Spring, running the Pakistani Taliban, etc. That is just nonsense. They \[CIA\] created a monster and now they are appalled by it.” [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. Critiques conspiracy theories about CIA control, calling them nonsense and warning against demonizing agencies. **In simple terms:** Calls conspiracy claims about CIA nonsense. Key Takeaway Question sources of information. Themes media conspiracy politics critical thinking Mood skeptical analytical critical Type explanatory argumentative When to use this quote - political analysis - media literacy - academic discussion Key Concepts power structures information disorder skepticism Questions to Reflect On - How can we differentiate real covert actions from myths? - What evidence is needed to support such claims? A Different Perspective Overlooks legitimate covert operations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arab spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arab-spring/) [Cia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cia/) [Cia Manipulating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cia-manipulating-2320657/) [Conspiracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conspiracy/) [Conspiracy Fact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conspiracy-fact-3313493/) [Etc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/etc/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Idea Conspiracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-conspiracy-611582/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monsters/) [Nonsense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonsense/) [Nonsense Cia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonsense-cia-3313492/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) [Taliban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taliban/) [Ultras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultras/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [In much of the world, there is a sense of an ultra-powerful CIA manipulating everything that happens, such as running the Arab Spring, running…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/in-much-of-the-world-there-is-a-sense-of-an-ultra-powerful-cia/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ \[CIA manipulating\] has its roots in internal Pakistani affairs. It's a horrible development and phenomenon which goes back to radical Islamisation under Zia and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/cia-manipulating-has-its-roots-in-internal-pakistani-affairs-it-s-a/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Yes, there is a conspiracy, in fact there are a great number of conspiracies that are all tripping each other up. And all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/yes-there-is-a-conspiracy-in-fact-there-are-a-great-number-of/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [It is ironic that a nation that has never experienced a coup d'etat should be so obsessed with the idea of conspiracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-ironic-that-a-nation-that-has-never-experienced-a-coup-d-etat/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [People are always receptive to the idea of a conspiracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/people-are-always-receptive-to-the-idea-of-a-conspiracy/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [ When people floated this idea that this was a conspiracy by the \[Jeb\] Bush campaign to undermine \[Marco\] Rubio, at first, it was like… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-barro/when-people-floated-this-idea-that-this-was-a-conspiracy-by-the-jeb/) [Josh Barro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-barro/) > [Kaplan can't understand trivialities. The triviality here is that nobody except the ultra right-wing jingoists like Kaplan are comparing atrocities by various countries. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/kaplan-can-t-understand-trivialities-the-triviality-here-is-that/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There isn't much point arguing about the word "libertarian." It would make about as much sense to argue with an unreconstructed Stalinist about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-isn-t-much-point-arguing-about-the-word-libertarian-it-would/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [In Europe there's an dangerous growth of ultra xenophobia which is pretty threatening to any one who remembers the history of Europe... and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/in-europe-there-s-an-dangerous-growth-of-ultra-xenophobia-which-is/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [In Egypt the neoliberal programs have meant statistical growth, like right before the Arab Spring, Egypt was a kind of poster child for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/in-egypt-the-neoliberal-programs-have-meant-statistical-growth-like/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It is triple ultra forbidden to respond to criticism with violence. There are a very few injunctions in the human art of rationality that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/it-is-triple-ultra-forbidden-to-respond-to-criticism-with-violence/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [I started running ultras to become a better person. I thought if you could run 100 miles you'd be in this Zen state. You'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-shelton/i-started-running-ultras-to-become-a-better-person-i-thought-if-you/) [Jenn Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-shelton/) > [You have to make that stand out from the rest of the three hours. There are times when I'm having fun and being loose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-buck/you-have-to-make-that-stand-out-from-the-rest-of-the-three-hours/) [Joe Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-buck/) > [I started running ultras to become a better person,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-shelton/i-started-running-ultras-to-become-a-better-person/) [Jenn Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-shelton/) > [I am like all other atheists only in that I do not believe there are any gods. Beyond that, I may differ dramatically in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carrier/i-am-like-all-other-atheists-only-in-that-i-do-not-believe-there-are/) [Richard Carrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carrier/) ## More by Noam Chomsky > [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/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are questions as to whether it should even exist. Who should corporations be responsive to, the management of a corporation? Theoretically they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-questions-as-to-whether-it-should-even-exist-who-should/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Governments regard their own citizens as their main enemy, and they have to be - protect themselves. That's why you have state secret laws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/governments-regard-their-own-citizens-as-their-main-enemy-and-they/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The first thing you ought to do is verify what I present. Just because I say it doesn't make it true. So check it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-first-thing-you-ought-to-do-is-verify-what-i-present-just-because/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [This is class war on an international scale, and power is in the hands of those who control the international economic system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/this-is-class-war-on-an-international-scale-and-power-is-in-the-hands/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-big-extremely-irrational-parts-of-the-society-and-they-have/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's plenty to criticize about the mass media, but they are the source of regular information about a wide range of topics. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-plenty-to-criticize-about-the-mass-media-but-they-are-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The 50,000 Korean mercenaries we had in Vietnam were professional killers and just massacred people outright. And the American army did plenty of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-50-000-korean-mercenaries-we-had-in-vietnam-were-professional/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) [Explore all 2,129 Noam Chomsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More Arab spring quotes > [None of us is certain about the outcome of the Arab Spring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/none-of-us-is-certain-about-the-outcome-of-the-arab-spring/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [As you know with the Arab Spring, there were no dividends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/najib-razak/as-you-know-with-the-arab-spring-there-were-no-dividends/) [Najib Razak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/najib-razak/) > [Some socialist movements in Egypt, Tunisia and Bahrain, for instance, were genuine. I was making films about the so-called Arab Spring, and I'm well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-vltchek/some-socialist-movements-in-egypt-tunisia-and-bahrain-for-instance/) [Andre Vltchek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-vltchek/) > [We are living in a world in which developments are harder to predict and one that has become more uncertain. In such a world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jens-stoltenberg/we-are-living-in-a-world-in-which-developments-are-harder-to-predict/) [Jens Stoltenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jens-stoltenberg/) > [The first question that I ask : do I have public support or not. That is the first question that I asked as President.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/the-first-question-that-i-ask-do-i-have-public-support-or-not-that-is/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [“Our daily routines influence the lives of people and animals halfway across the world, and some personal gestures can unexpectedly set the entire world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/our-daily-routines-influence-the-lives-of-people-and-animals-halfway/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [There is always the risk that a conflagration in the Middle East becomes larger and more dangerous. In this scenario, we discover that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bremmer/there-is-always-the-risk-that-a-conflagration-in-the-middle-east/) [Ian Bremmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bremmer/) > [One of the themes of 'The Longest War,' my book, which came out before the Arab spring happened, was how al-Qaida and bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/one-of-the-themes-of-the-longest-war-my-book-which-came-out-before/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [I don't think the Arab Spring had much to do with energy. I think it was just the opposite, in fact. I think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-don-t-think-the-arab-spring-had-much-to-do-with-energy-i-think-it/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [I think Martin Luther King would always keep track of collective insurgencies among poor and working people. He was concerned about the treatment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-think-martin-luther-king-would-always-keep-track-of-collective/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Everyone knew that Saleh and the Houthis were a marriage of convenience. He was a dictator; the Houthis are ideologues who want to impose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-khashoggi/everyone-knew-that-saleh-and-the-houthis-were-a-marriage-of/) [Jamal Khashoggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-khashoggi/) > [The Arab Spring is a true phenomenon. Embrace Arab Spring; embrace the aspiration for freedom of the people of Egypt, Syria, and Yemen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-khashoggi/the-arab-spring-is-a-true-phenomenon-embrace-arab-spring-embrace-the/) [Jamal Khashoggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-khashoggi/) > [The death of Yemeni strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh shows that Saudi Arabia is paying for its betrayal of the Arab spring in Yemen in 2011.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-khashoggi/the-death-of-yemeni-strongman-ali-abdullah-saleh-shows-that-saudi/) [Jamal Khashoggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-khashoggi/) > [I believe democracy will succeed in Tunisia, but I also believe that it will succeed in the other Arab Spring countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashid-al-ghannushi/i-believe-democracy-will-succeed-in-tunisia-but-i-also-believe-that/) [Rashid al-Ghannushi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashid-al-ghannushi/) > [“The Arab Spring has been a dismal failure. All indications are that what comes next will be significantly worse than what existed before, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/the-arab-spring-has-been-a-dismal-failure-all-indications-are-that/) [John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/) [Browse all 108 Arab spring quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arab-spring/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can understand the idea that there is a conspiracy. In fact, in much of the world there is a sense of an ultra-powerful CIA manipulating everything that happens, such as running the Arab Spring, running the Pakistani Taliban, etc. That is just nonsense. 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