Quotes About Diplomacy

This is the nightmare I have always dreaded. It's as if we've learned nothing from the last war and we are reliving August 1914. One by one the countries of the world will be dragged in - and for what?

But it is one of the tricks of the successful politician to be able to hold many things in mind at once and to switch between them as the need arises;

The trouble with Lucious, he said, putting his feet up on the desk after this cousin has gone, is that he thinks politics is a fight for justice. Politics is a profession.

Appeasement is simply an attempt to redress those same wrongs.

Perhaps he wanted to make Monsieur Daladier feel at home by dressing as the Michelin Man?

The Munich conference," he muttered, "is a locomotive that cannot be stopped. In my opinion, it's useless even to try.

A beautiful battle is one you don't have to fight

Some said Delana was sucessful as a mediator because both sides would agree just to make her stop staring at them.

The nobles and the noble Houses maneuver for advantage. They do things they think will help them, or hurt and enemy, or both. Usually, it's all done in secrecy, or if not, they try to make it seem as if they're doing something other than what they are.

You're not my enemy, but your Empire is.

a victory of diplomacy did not come when everyone got what they wanted—that made everyone assume they'd gotten the better of her, which encouraged more extravagant demands. The trick is not to satisfy everyone, but to leave everyone feeling they reached the best possible result. They must be satisfied enough to do as you wish, yet dissatisfied enough to know that you bested them.

What is the best method of appeasing an offended party? Would it not be to give some ground to them, acknowledge what they have done right?

A wise ruler, Elayne thought, knows when to speak and when not.

be hostile unless you must, Moiraine had said, but above all never be overly friendly. Never be eager

You must learn there is a time to speak all of the truth, and a time to govern your tongue. The least of the lessons you must learn, but important, if you mean to live long enough to wear the shawl of a full sister.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall take flack from both sides.- Unofficial UN Motto

Diplomacy is the delicate weapon of the civilized warrior.- Hun, A. T.

Lavrov in Geneva on March 6, and someone persuaded her to present him with a big red button, with the word "reset" printed on the top in Russian. Unfortunately, the Russian word on the button actually said "overcharge.

Robert M. Gates

One lesson from Syria is that American presidents should not call for another leader, however odious, to relinquish power without a plan for, or some prospect of, making that happen. It severely limits political and diplomatic options.

others—angled for oil contracts and

Obama answered, "Yes. I'm no peacenik.

It tempted Clinton, Bush, and even Obama to think we could change other countries, despite history and culture, and make them more like us. Contrary to Machiavelli's warning, they misjudged our power and our resources.

Americans, I think, understand the value of allies and how they are a unique asset for the United States, especially compared to both Russia and China, neither of which have any. At the same time, those allies are expected to pull their weight.