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The art of diplomacy is to take an opportunity and turn it into something.

Brent Scowcroft

It is beyond dispute that Saddam Hussein is a menace.
BRENT SCOWCROFT

Disputes Hussein Menace
I don’t think the Chinese look out at the world and want to overturn the system.
BRENT SCOWCROFT

Country Looks People System Thinking
We have not been forthcoming about explaining a security relationship for the region, in which Iran can feel secure and thus maybe willing to do something.
BRENT SCOWCROFT

Explain Forthcoming Region Something
The Iraqis need help establishing a government. We have to provide them with security.
BRENT SCOWCROFT

Government Helping Needs
The radical elements in Islam are very dangerous. They want to achieve a return to the Islamic purity of the Middle Ages.
BRENT SCOWCROFT

Age Dangerous Elements Islamic
Democracy doesn’t just consist of holding elections.
BRENT SCOWCROFT

Consists Democracy Election
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.
BRENT SCOWCROFT

Country Hussein Internal People Situation
If you look back at the first Gulf war, the Arabs sent forces, they sent money. So their interests in Iraq are clear, but they’re nowhere to be seen now. Why? Because right now, it’s dangerous to be seen as supporting the United States.
BRENT SCOWCROFT

Country Money People United States War
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.
BRENT SCOWCROFT

Fighting Followed Numbers Terrorism
Progress is only possible if the United States and its allies work together.
BRENT SCOWCROFT

Allies Progress Together Working
After the ’30s, we said, “no more Munichs.” And it got us in a lot of problems. Then we said, “No more Vietnams.” Now if we say, “No more Iraqs,” the next one won’t be an Iraq. It will be something different. You can’t learn lessons.
BRENT SCOWCROFT

Country Different People Vietnam
After all, we didn’t bring democracy to Germany in 1945; Hitler destroyed democracy there first.
BRENT SCOWCROFT

Country Democracy Firsts People
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.
BRENT SCOWCROFT

Enlightenment Gone Share
Saddam’s ouster will not necessarily lead to the same result, since Iraq lacks democratic traditions. Democracy doesn’t just consist of holding elections.
BRENT SCOWCROFT

Country Democracy Election People
Russia right now is searching for its soul. It’s trying to figure out what it really is.
BRENT SCOWCROFT

Russia Soul Trying
Europeans are familiar with terrorism and violence. We have not experienced a true conflict on our soil in a hundred years, and especially not one that involved 3,000 dead.
BRENT SCOWCROFT

Experience Soil Violence Years

The art of diplomacy is to take an opportunity and turn it into something.

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The art of diplomacy is to take an opportunity and turn it into something.

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