“The two main criminals are France and the United States. They owe Haiti enormous reparations because of actions going back hundreds of years. If we could ever get to the stage where somebody could say, 'We're sorry we did it,' that would be nice. But if that just assuages guilt, it's just another crime. To become minimally civilized, we would have to say, 'We carried out and benefited from vicious crimes. A large part of the wealth of France comes from the crimes we committed against Haiti, and the United States gained as well. Therefore we are going to pay reparations to the Haitian people.' Then you will see the beginnings of civilization.”

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About Noam Chomsky

Linguist and political theorist from the United States, active since the 1950s. He developed foundational theories of generative grammar and cognitive linguistics, reshaping modern linguistics. His work also spans political philosophy, media criticism, and human rights advocacy, often challenging power structures and corporate influence.

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"The two main criminals are France and the United States. They owe Hai…" — Noam Chomsky | Daily Quotes