> And no doubt when they do, you'll be at the forefront defending them? Re-read your 2nd and 3rd paragraphs as a defence of China as a world power. Do you still stand by them?
I don't quite understand how you read what s/he said as a defense of the US' behavior or the putative future behavior of China. An acknowledgment that people in power behave like assholes, sure, but it's in the overall context of criticizing Chomsky's political writings as being somewhat simplistic in how they handle the ethics of power politics. Or perhaps you believe that the black and white view of things is the right and proper one, and failing to adopt it is equivalent to apologizing for misdeeds by those in power.
Oh perhaps. Perhaps I'm not sophisticated enough to appreciate the diplomatic nuances of "China would be just as bad, and the arabs would be worse"(paraphrase)
I don't quite understand how you read what s/he said as a defense of the US' behavior or the putative future behavior of China. An acknowledgment that people in power behave like assholes, sure, but it's in the overall context of criticizing Chomsky's political writings as being somewhat simplistic in how they handle the ethics of power politics. Or perhaps you believe that the black and white view of things is the right and proper one, and failing to adopt it is equivalent to apologizing for misdeeds by those in power.