Quotes by Robert Fisk

“Epitaph on a Tyrant is about Stalin, but is perfect for Saddam Hussein.”

“When you have a crime against humanity that is so awesome in scale and death, it is more than permissible to look around and say, who recently has been declaring war on the United States? Of course, the compass points straight to bin Laden.”

“U.S. journalists I dont think are very courageous. They tend to go along with the governments policy domestically and internationally. To question is seen as being unpatriotic, or potentially subversive.”

“I dont know what happens if they get bin Laden. Im much more interested in what happens if they dont get bin Laden.”

“Its a journalists job to be a witness to history. Were not there to worry about ourselves. Were there to try and get as near as we can, in an imperfect world, to the truth and get the truth out.”

“American journalists go for safe stories. They dont like controversy. They dont like to say, I was a witness. I saw this. This is true. This is what happened. You have this constant business where journalists can never be the source; there has to be this anonymous diplomat.”

“President Bush will come here and there will be new friends of America to open a new relationship with the world, new economic fortunes for those who liberated them.”

“Theres a lot of racism against Arabs inside Israel, and theres a lot of racism by Arabs against Israeli Jews.”

“Tanks come in two forms: the dangerous, deadly kind and the liberating kind.”

“The Americans may think they have liberated Baghdad but the tens of thousands of thieves - they came in families and cruised the city in trucks and cars searching for booty - seem to have a different idea what liberation means.”

The [Israelis] believed - they were possessed of an absolute certainty and conviction - that terrorists were in Chatila. How could I explain to them that the terrorists had left, that the terrorists had worn Israeli uniforms, that the terrorists had been sent into Chatila by Israeli officers, that the victims of the terrorists were not Israelis but Palestinians and Lebanese?

Its a journalists job to be a witness to history. Were not there to worry about ourselves. Were there to try and get as near as we can, in an imperfect world, to the truth and get the truth out.

Equal time is not necessary when dealing with evil. Nazis do not merit equal or fair treatment.

Journalism can be lethal