Quotes About Diplomacy

A supreme pragmatist, Kissinger was never interested in the art of the impossible - and nor, as a biographer, am I. That is why, having initially been invited to write his entire official biography, I eventually decided to devote myself to writing just one year in his life: 1973.

People say, 'Surely there's the right reasons for going to war?' And my perspective is, 'Surely there's a better way of asking that question?'

Next to President of the United States, Ambassador to Ireland is surely one of the best jobs an Irish American can hold.

Myself, I don't think you will ever get security in the Mideast until you have what on the surface appears to be fair to both sides. You have to have leaders committed to peace, on both sides. One side can't impose a solution.

American secretaries of state have typically been more buttoned up than bon vivant, but John Quincy Adams's diplomatic successes - bigger than anything presidential or legislative that he achieved - still surprise a student of his personality.

And I don't say that we didn't expect it, but we were pleasantly surprised to see the generosity of their foreign policy; and the generosity of their foreign policy at that moment was expressed through the Marshall Plan.

At first the English were very surprised by our disregarding the Hague Convention. But from 1916 onward they used at least as much poison as we did.

Today, the people are governing the governments. And when they begin to talk to each other, they are surprised, they can be friends. Why should we hate each other?

I can tell you that if I'd had an opportunity to meet with King Abdullah of the Saudis - which I have not - he would be very surprised to hear what I have to say.

When our diplomats go abroad, they are surprised that they can't do the things that they can do here.

It is not surprising, then, that in the decade since Oslo began, Arafat used all the resources placed at his disposal to fan the flames of hatred against Israel.

There are areas in which the Russians are actually surprisingly cooperative.

Engagement is not appeasement. Engagement is not surrender.

The mongers brought them together upon a mutual surrender of their principles.

Peace imposible, war improbable.

Anyone who does not see that there is a 'struggle for power' element is naïve; anyone who sees nothing but this aspect is a false realist.

L'ennemi d'hier est l'ami d'aujourd'hui. Il n'y a pas de politique raisonnable sans capacité d'oubli.

Make friends unless you feel strong enough to make enemies

As H. L. Mencken said: 'We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.

She started three wars the first week.

She started three wars in the first wee.

Shouts and blows may have won arguments for you in the past, fellow. They are pointless in the current situation.

increasingly weak. Then, half a century after Lord Macartney's failed mission, the closed door was pushed ajar by Britain through the Opium

Cixi's style was not to force through drastic change, but to bring it about gradually through perseverence.