---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's plain that the American right wing…"
description: "\"It's plain that the American right wing, the Republicans and some sections of the Democratic Party, don't really care about international norms. They b..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/vijay-prashad-13643_authority_it-s-plain-that-the-american-right-wing_3007053.jpg"
---

#  It's plain that the American right wing, the Republicans…

![“It's plain that the American right wing, the Republicans and some sections of the Democratic Party, don't really care about international norms. They believe in the executive authority of the president. They don't even believe the United Nations or international law should play any role vis-à-vis…” quote by Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/vijay-prashad-13643_authority_it-s-plain-that-the-american-right-wing_3007053.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/vijay-prashad-13643_authority_it-s-plain-that-the-american-right-wing_3007053.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/vijay-prashad-13643_authority_it-s-plain-that-the-american-right-wing_3007053.jpg)

> “It's plain that the American right wing, the Republicans and some sections of the Democratic Party, don't really care about international norms. They believe in the executive authority of the president. They don't even believe the United Nations or international law should play any role vis-à-vis American policymaking.”

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

US political factions often ignore global norms, favoring unilateral power.

**In simple terms:** US often bypasses international rules.

Key Takeaway

Advocate for multilateral cooperation.

Themes

politics sovereignty law

Mood

critical analytical

Type

political academic

When to use this quote

- diplomacy
- legislation
- public opinion

Key Concepts

international relations policy analysis

Questions to Reflect On

- Should the US prioritize global norms?
- How can citizens influence foreign policy?

A Different Perspective

Some argue national security justifies autonomy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[American Policymaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-policymaking-596783/) [American Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-right-457808/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic/) [Democratic party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic-party/) [Executives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executives/) [International](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/international/) [International law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/international-law/) [International Norms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/international-norms-575109/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Norm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/norm/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Republican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/republican/) [Right wing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-wing/) [Roles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roles/) [Sections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sections/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-nations/) [Wings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wings/)

## Related quotes

> [From Iraq to Guantanamo Bay, international standards and the framework of international law are being given less when they should be given more importance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-robinson/from-iraq-to-guantanamo-bay-international-standards-and-the-framework/)

[Mary Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-robinson/)

> [The question of international norms or international resolutions, you know, coming from Mr. Obama is not really about whether there are international norms or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/the-question-of-international-norms-or-international-resolutions-you/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [American policymaking in the Islamic world must begin with a foundation of respect for Muslims, especially when they tell us about their faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-domenech/american-policymaking-in-the-islamic-world-must-begin-with-a/)

[Ben Domenech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-domenech/)

> [I do think that this whole area of cyber is something that at an international level we have to work on and develop frameworks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-do-think-that-this-whole-area-of-cyber-is-something-that-at-an/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [We believe in the power of 21st-century international norms. Russian President Vladimir Putin believes in the power of lies and brute force, and implicitly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-lowry/we-believe-in-the-power-of-21st-century-international-norms-russian/)

[Rich Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-lowry/)

> [Too often, we have failed to enforce international norms when it's inconvenient to do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/too-often-we-have-failed-to-enforce-international-norms-when-it-s/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Our enemies are all those in league with imperialism - the warlords, the bureaucrats, the comprador class, the big Landlord class and the reactionary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/our-enemies-are-all-those-in-league-with-imperialism-the-warlords-the/)

[Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/)

> [You have the right to free speech as an American - you have no right to use YouTube to do it. And the mobs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-domenech/you-have-the-right-to-free-speech-as-an-american-you-have-no-right-to/)

[Ben Domenech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-domenech/)

> [Over fifteen years of studying the American Right professionally - especially in their communications with each other, in their own memos and media since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/over-fifteen-years-of-studying-the-american-right-professionally/)

[Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/)

> [The American Right has an amazing ability to lionize leaders whose lives are the precise antithesis of the political values that define their image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-american-right-has-an-amazing-ability-to-lionize-leaders-whose/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [There are few tribes more loathsome than the American Right, and their vicious use of the shortcomings in the NHS to attack Barack Obama's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-hoggart/there-are-few-tribes-more-loathsome-than-the-american-right-and-their/)

[Simon Hoggart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-hoggart/)

> [I am still baffled by those who feel that criticizing America is unpatriotic, a view increasingly being adopted in the United States since 9/11…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/i-am-still-baffled-by-those-who-feel-that-criticizing-america-is/)

[Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/)

> [There is nothing the matter with Americans except their ideals. The real American is all right; it is the ideal American who is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/there-is-nothing-the-matter-with-americans-except-their-ideals-the/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [“We have a multiheaded dragon in our midst that for too long has been waging a domestic war on our young, our poor, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/we-have-a-multiheaded-dragon-in-our-midst-that-for-too-long-has-been/)

[Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/)

> [Every American has the right to feel safe in their schools, in their churches, in their movie theaters, and in their nightclubs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-speier/every-american-has-the-right-to-feel-safe-in-their-schools-in-their/)

[Jackie Speier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-speier/)

## More by Vijay Prashad

> [Organizing is always a relationship between the person who arrives and says 'Let's meet together' and the person who comes to the meeting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/organizing-is-always-a-relationship-between-the-person-who-arrives/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [You cannot have politics without building mass-movements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/you-cannot-have-politics-without-building-mass-movements/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [We would like to participate in manifestations, in Occupies and things like that. We would like to be involved in a march. But we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/we-would-like-to-participate-in-manifestations-in-occupies-and-things/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [Mr. Assad is not going to be able to feel like there is a moderate opposition that actually threatens him. Currently, the Assad government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/mr-assad-is-not-going-to-be-able-to-feel-like-there-is-a-moderate/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [We are social beings who make communities with an urgency, and it is a stern charge to make us take refuge in the lonely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/we-are-social-beings-who-make-communities-with-an-urgency-and-it-is-a/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [The Islamic State is able to raise finances through taxation, through theft of banks, and certainly through oil sales from the Omar oilfields in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/the-islamic-state-is-able-to-raise-finances-through-taxation-through/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [Where there is a living memory of struggle, they have a living memory of the rebellion. Where there's no struggle afterward the rebellion is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/where-there-is-a-living-memory-of-struggle-they-have-a-living-memory/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [It is convenient for Hillary Clinton and Tony Blair to say the rise of the Islamic State has nothing to do with the Iraq…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/it-is-convenient-for-hillary-clinton-and-tony-blair-to-say-the-rise/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [The best intentions (of respect and tolerance) can often be annoying to those whose cultures are not in dominance: we feel that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/the-best-intentions-of-respect-and-tolerance-can-often-be-annoying-to/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [You see, one strand...of anarchism believed that you needed to use essentially homeopathic doses of terror by assassinating people, et cetera, the so-called 'propaganda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/you-see-one-strand-of-anarchism-believed-that-you-needed-to-use/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [However you define territorial ambitions, it need not be a country that's right next to the U.S. for it to exercise its extraterritorial or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/however-you-define-territorial-ambitions-it-need-not-be-a-country/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [Interestingly, what the bourgeois women's groups in India wanted to do in the nationalist period is to have the peasant women essentially follow them...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/interestingly-what-the-bourgeois-women-s-groups-in-india-wanted-to-do/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [Mr. Obama at the UN said that the large nations should not trample small ones in pursuit of what he called "territorial ambition". These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/mr-obama-at-the-un-said-that-the-large-nations-should-not-trample/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [In times when the tempo for struggle is not very high, you prepare populations by conducting acts of courage-building, confidence-building, respect for each other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/in-times-when-the-tempo-for-struggle-is-not-very-high-you-prepare/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [To build a mass movement, nonviolence is indispensable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/to-build-a-mass-movement-nonviolence-is-indispensable/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

[Explore all 49 Vijay Prashad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

## More Authority quotes

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/)

[Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/)

> [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/)

[Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/)

> [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/)

[Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/)

> [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/)

[Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/)

> [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/)

[Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/)

> [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/)

[Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/)

> [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/)

[Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/)

> [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/)

[Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/)

> [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/)

[Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/)

> [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/)

[Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/)

[Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's plain that the American right wing, the Republicans and some sections of the Democratic Party, don't really care about international norms. They believe in the executive authority of the president. They don't even believe the United Nations or international law should play any role vis-à-vis American policymaking.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Vijay Prashad"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/it-s-plain-that-the-american-right-wing-the-republicans-and-some/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Authority"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/it-s-plain-that-the-american-right-wing-the-republicans-and-some/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/vijay-prashad-13643_authority_it-s-plain-that-the-american-right-wing_3007053.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/vijay-prashad-13643_authority_it-s-plain-that-the-american-right-wing_3007053.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/vijay-prashad-13643_authority_it-s-plain-that-the-american-right-wing_3007053.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's plain that the American right wing, the Republicans and some sections of the Democratic Party, don't…” — Vijay Prashad",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Vijay Prashad",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's plain that the American right...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/it-s-plain-that-the-american-right-wing-the-republicans-and-some/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/it-s-plain-that-the-american-right-wing-the-republicans-and-some/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
