--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Obama's latest line is that he didn't…" description: "\"Obama's latest line is that he didn't establish a \"red line\" but the world did through its conventions on chemical warfare.\" — Noam Chomsky" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/noam-chomsky-42_chemical-warfare_obama-s-latest-line-is-that-he-didn-t-es_480178.jpg" --- # Obama's latest line is that he didn't establish a "red… ![“Obama's latest line is that he didn't establish a "red line" but the world did through its conventions on chemical warfare.” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/noam-chomsky-42_chemical-warfare_obama-s-latest-line-is-that-he-didn-t-es_480178.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/noam-chomsky-42_chemical-warfare_obama-s-latest-line-is-that-he-didn-t-es_480178.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/noam-chomsky-42_chemical-warfare_obama-s-latest-line-is-that-he-didn-t-es_480178.jpg) > “Obama's latest line is that he didn't establish a "red line" but the world did through its conventions on chemical warfare.” [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. He argues that the US never set a formal red line on chemical weapons, but international norms effectively created one. **In simple terms:** U.S. claims no red line, but global rules act as one. Key Takeaway Recognize how informal norms can shape behavior. Themes politics international law norms Mood critical analytical Type political academic When to use this quote - diplomatic negotiations - policy analysis - human rights advocacy Key Concepts realism constructivism Questions to Reflect On - How do informal norms influence state actions? - Can societies enforce norms without formal declarations? A Different Perspective International norms may be ignored by powerful states. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chemical warfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chemical-warfare/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Perhaps the happiest moment of my life was then, when I saw that our line didn't break and that the enemy's did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/perhaps-the-happiest-moment-of-my-life-was-then-when-i-saw-that-our/) [Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutherford-b-hayes/) > [Of course, not everyone's going to get on but when you crossed that white line it didn't matter. 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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. 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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 Chemical warfare quotes > [I did not know that the planning for biological and chemical warfare was so widespread in England, and even in France before France fell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-did-not-know-that-the-planning-for-biological-and-chemical-warfare/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. 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