--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On humanitarian intervention in general…" description: "\"On humanitarian intervention in general, I guess my view is not unlike the view that was attributed to Gandhi, accurately or not, when he was supposedl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/noam-chomsky-42_civilization_on-humanitarian-intervention-in-general_1754652.jpg" --- # On humanitarian intervention in general, I guess my view… ![“On humanitarian intervention in general, I guess my view is not unlike the view that was attributed to Gandhi, accurately or not, when he was supposedly asked what he thought about western civilization. He is supposed to have said that he thought it would be a good idea. Similarly, humanitarian…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/noam-chomsky-42_civilization_on-humanitarian-intervention-in-general_1754652.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/noam-chomsky-42_civilization_on-humanitarian-intervention-in-general_1754652.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/noam-chomsky-42_civilization_on-humanitarian-intervention-in-general_1754652.jpg) > “On humanitarian intervention in general, I guess my view is not unlike the view that was attributed to Gandhi, accurately or not, when he was supposedly asked what he thought about western civilization. He is supposed to have said that he thought it would be a good idea. Similarly, humanitarian intervention would be a good idea, in principle.” [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 likens humanitarian intervention to Gandhi’s ambiguous endorsement of Western civilization, suggesting it sounds good in principle but may be simplistic. **In simple terms:** Humanitarian aid sounds good but may be naive. Key Takeaway Critically assess interventions before acting. Themes ethics politics intervention humanitarianism Mood critical skeptical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - foreign aid - military intervention - NGO work - policy making Key Concepts realism idealism policy critique Questions to Reflect On - When is intervention justified? - What are the unintended consequences? A Different Perspective Idealism may ignore complex local contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Good ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-ideas/) [Humanitarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanitarian/) [Humanitarian intervention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanitarian-intervention/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Intervention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intervention/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) [Western civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western-civilization/) ## Related quotes > [“(When asked what he thought of Western civilization): 'I think it would be a good idea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/when-asked-what-he-thought-of-western-civilization-i-think-it-would/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The Great Seal was an early proclamation of 'humanitarian intervention,' to use the currently fashionable phrase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-great-seal-was-an-early-proclamation-of-humanitarian-intervention/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [To stay back from an intervention is not always a good solution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wolfowitz/to-stay-back-from-an-intervention-is-not-always-a-good-solution/) [Paul Wolfowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wolfowitz/) > [If I were a person who was non-American, I would think humanitarian intervention is just another name for United States imperialism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/if-i-were-a-person-who-was-non-american-i-would-think-humanitarian/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [“Call up the ever-pure, the effulgent and the ever-radiant character of true humanism in yourself and in others, and no racism shall have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/call-up-the-ever-pure-the-effulgent-and-the-ever-radiant-character-of/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [I think no one knows what humanitarian intervention means. 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I am no Messiah. I am no divine incarnation. I am but a human in the service of humans.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/i-am-no-god-i-am-no-messiah-i-am-no-divine-incarnation-i-am-but-a/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“O my brave Almighty Human, with the ever-effulgent flow of courage, conscience and compassion, turn yourself into a vivacious humanizer, and start walking with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/o-my-brave-almighty-human-with-the-ever-effulgent-flow-of-courage/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) ## 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. 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