Much of what we know about mathematics and trade comes from the Arabs. Then came stagnation, and now they’re the West’s whipping boy. This is a problem that cannot be solved overnight, and certainly not militarily.
BRENT SCOWCROFTAmerica is stronger than any state probably since the Roman Empire. But we can’t do what used to be done with that kind of strength.
More Brent Scowcroft Quotes
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Russia right now is searching for its soul. It’s trying to figure out what it really is.
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Information technology has politicized the world’s population.
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Yes, Israel’s our ally. But, are the Palestinians our enemy? No, they are not.
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Progress is only possible if the United States and its allies work together.
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Since the days of Peter the Great, Russians have been maybe Europeans who didn’t share in the enlightenment and the reformation, or are they Mongol Asians with the European veneer. And they’ve gone back and forth.
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Saddam’s ouster will not necessarily lead to the same result, since Iraq lacks democratic traditions. Democracy doesn’t just consist of holding elections.
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America is stronger than any state probably since the Roman Empire. But we can’t do what used to be done with that kind of strength.
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To sum up, the position we took was that since we didn’t know the internal situation in Iraq nor Saddam Hussein, that our best bet was to take counsel from the people who did know him and who did deal with him.
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I don’t think the Chinese look out at the world and want to overturn the system.
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I’m afraid that the United States is more isolated today than at any other time in my memory.
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But the central point is that any campaign against Iraq, whatever the strategy, cost and risks, is certain to divert us for some indefinite period from our war on terrorism.
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If Iraq were to descend into chaos, the Europeans would feel the effects just as much as we would.
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My point was that removing Saddam should not have been our highest priority. Fighting terrorism should have been our number one concern, followed by the Palestinian peace process.
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After all, we didn’t bring democracy to Germany in 1945; Hitler destroyed democracy there first.
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America wants to work with friends, with allies, with people of good will, to make this a better world.
BRENT SCOWCROFT