Quotes About Diplomacy

I have given instructions that I be informed every time one of our soldiers is killed, even if it is in the middle of the night. When President Nasser leaves instructions that he is to be awakened in the middle of the night if an Egyptian soldier is killed, there will be peace.

I don't know why you use a fancy French word like détente when there's a good English phrase for it — cold war.

The British went on fighting like lions against the Germans, the Italians, and the Japanese, but they couldn't or wouldn't stand up to the Arabs at all – though much of the Arab world was openly pro-Nazi.

Between the Mediterranean and the borders of Iraq, in what was once Palestine, there are now two countries, one Jewish and one Arab, and there is no room for a third. The Palestinians must find the solution to their problem together with that Arab country, Jordan, because a 'Palestinian state' between us and Jordan can only become a base from which it will be more convenient to attack and destroy Israel.

So long as we have more politicians than statesmen, we shall have problems.

In 1956 the Eisenhower administration used its creditor powers to pressure Britain to withdraw from the Suez Canal and hand it over to Egypt. The U.S. is in danger of giving similar power to China.8

the conceptual breakthrough, if any, is the ability to call a retreat and declare victory at the same time.

the people will show that they have what Chinese military thinker Sun-tzu called "the supreme skill"; that is, to be able to win without fighting. It happened in Berlin and Bucharest and will soon occur in Beijing: the people will take back their government.

An apology is a good way to have the last word.

on free commerce, open communication, shared knowledge, secular politics, religious coexistence, international law, and diplomatic immunity.

Rabban Bar Sawma

The History of the Life and Travels of Rabban Swama, Envoy and Plenipotentiary of the Mongol Khans to the Kings of Europe.

Genghis Khan always honored his word. Those who surrendered suffered no harm, and he treated them well. In turn, he used this fair treatment as a means of encouraging other cities to surrender.

Wars come and go; politics endure.

Afghanistan, one of the most inconspicuous nations on earth. In 1946 it was just emerging from the bronze age, a land incredibly old, incredibly tied to an ancient past. At the embassy we used to say, "Kabul today shows what Palestine was like at the time of Jesus.

especially the Japanese and Russian

if a nation is totally geared to the waging of war, it had better ensure that war keeps occurring somewhere;

a nation is totally geared to the waging of war, it had better ensure that war keeps occurring somewhere; and

In war and in peace, a good enemy can be more valuable than a good ally.

There must not and cannot be any conflict, estrangement or misunderstanding between the Chinese people and America. —Mao Zedong

In a time of global uncertainty, rising terrorism, and enormous threats to peace, it's right that we as a country should now seek to extend our diplomatic footprint overseas.

I have a lot of respect for His Majesty Juan Carlos. I call him Uncle Juan because he is an extraordinary person whom I have known for a long time.

The Chinese are really good at diplomacy - and even at making their interlocutors feel very uncomfortable.

I think the thing I had to be careful about while writing a book was not to say anything that was revealing about other people that they would be uncomfortable with. I didn't want to make people angry - that's a real risk.