Human rights Quote by Philip Gourevitch
““The fact that most states are born of violent upheaval does not, of course, mean that disorder leads to order. In writing the history of events that are still unfolding in a state that is still unformed, it is impossible to know which tendencies will prevail and at what price. The safest position is the human rights position, which measures regimes on a strictly negative scale as the sum of their crimes and their abuses: if you damn all offenders and some later mend their ways, you can always take credit for your good influence. Unfortunately, the safest position may not necessarily be the wisest, and I wondered whether there is room--even a need--for exercising political judgment in such matters.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, Philip Gourevitch, 1998
Political upheaval often produces new states, but disorder does not guarantee better outcomes; assessing regimes by their crimes is safe but may not be wise, leaving room for nuanced judgment.
In simple terms: Violence creates states, but chaos isn’t always good; judging by crimes is safe but limited.
Key Takeaway
Balance moral caution with informed political judgment.
Themes
politics
human rights
state formation
ethics
Mood
thoughtful
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- policy analysis
- international law
- humanitarian advocacy
- academic research
Key Concepts
realism
normative theory
historical analysis
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we responsibly intervene without oversimplifying?
- When does caution become complacency?
A Different Perspective
Safety may ignore complex realities and hinder proactive change.
![“Just as a state's police swear to prevent and punish murder, so the signers of the Genocide Convention [in 1948] swore to police a brave new world order. The rhetoric of moral utopia is a peculiar response to genocide. But those were heady days, just after the trials at Nuremberg, when the full…” quote by Philip Gourevitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/41e/philip-gourevitch-17484_brave-new-world_just-as-a-state-s-police-swear-to-preven_403389.jpg)
