Quotes About Diplomacy

Chia Chang, the Washington correspondent for the privately owned Taipei news organization 'United Daily News,' was told to leave the ICAO building after producing a Taiwanese passport to ICAO media accreditation officials. Canada recognizes Taiwanese passports. Beijing does not.

Everything is a negotiation. Everything is a little bit of give and take.

We must continue to pursue peace through diplomacy, but we must also not shrink from our responsibility through the option of strength. We must take advantage of internal resistance and change from within Iran to avert this path of mutual destruction.

Polite and velvety leaders, who take care to avoid bruising others, are generally not as effective at forcing change.

It doesn't make a lot of sense for us to borrow money from the Chinese to go give to another country for humanitarian aid. We ought to get the Chinese to take care of the people.

Our politicians are stupid. And the Mexican government is much smarter, much sharper, much more cunning. And they send the bad ones over because they don't want to pay for them. They don't want to take care of them. Why should they when the stupid leaders of the United States will do it for them?

Being polite, being respectful, having manners, and being a socialite - they're key life skills that people take for granted. Being able to communicate with all people on all levels is what's got me so far.

Countries such as the U.S. and Britain have taken it upon themselves to decide for us in the developing world, even to interfere in our domestic affairs and to bring about what they call regime change.

It is longstanding U.S. policy that we will talk to the Iranians anytime, anywhere, on any subject, with no preconditions. So far, they have not taken us up on our offer.

Iran must stop meddling in the affairs of Arab countries, and we refuse to be taken by Iran to an axis against Arab countries.

The principal achievement of Europe is peace, which we often forget about as it has become so taken for granted by Europeans.

There's something about the Foreign Service that takes the guts out of people.

Sanctions work over time. They do work, but it takes years for them to have an effect.

A lasting two-state solution requires two credible partners, and not just one side - Israel - taking superficial steps simply to placate world opinion.

I am not afraid of taking risks. We have to take risks for peace.

Journalists couldn't do their jobs overseas without taking risks, and the same is true for diplomats and intelligence officers.

The history of the outbreak of war 100 years ago and of the collapse of the fragile balance of power in Europe in the summer of 1914 is a disturbing tale of the failure of the governing elites and the military, but also of diplomacy.

The fact is that Iran doesn't want to see the Taliban come back any more than do most Afghan citizens.

Talking to the Taliban is a process the Afghans have to manage. It is their country.

I've dealt with the Taliban and al Qaeda.

Peace cannot come without the government of Afghanistan speaking directly to the Taliban or the Taliban talking directly to us.

In principle, there is nothing wrong with the United States negotiating directly with the Taliban.

A peace talk is always difficult, always complicated.

But the leaders of the OIC could not even accept Mahathir's proposal, yet they talk about respect and honour.