It’s a pity both sides can’t lose (commenting on Iran-Iraq war, 1980 – 1988)
HENRY KISSINGERThe goal of the tribute system was to foster deference, not to extract economic benefit or to dominate foreign societies militarily.
More Henry Kissinger Quotes
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The war is just when the intention that causes it to be undertaken is just. The will is therefore the principle element that must be considered, not the means, He who intends to kill the guilty sometimes faultlessly shed the blood of the innocents
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When statesmen want to gain time, they offer to talk.
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A more immediate issue concerns North Korea, to which Bismarck’s nineteenth-century aphorism surely applies: We live in a wondrous time, in which the strong is weak because of his scruples and the weak grows strong because of his audacity.
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in international affairs a reputation for reliability is a more important asset than demonstrations of tactical cleverness.
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In his essay, ‘Perpetual Peace,’ the philosopher, Immanuel Kant, argued that perpetual peace would eventually come to the world in one of two ways, by human insight or by conflicts and catastrophes of a magnitude that left humanity no other choice. We are at such a juncture.
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Poor old Germany. Too big for Europe, too small for the world
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A country whose security depends on producing a genius in each generation sets itself a task no society has ever met.
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Chinese thinkers developed strategic thought that placed a premium on victory through psychological advantage and preached the avoidance of direct conflict.
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in international affairs a reputation for reliability is a more important asset than demonstrations of tactical cleverness.
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Corrupt politicians make the other ten percent look bad.
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Postcolonial countries. All have sought to overcome the legacy of colonial.
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It is not a matter of what is true that counts, but a matter of what is perceived to be true.
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In effect, none of the most important countries which must build a new world order have had any experience with the multi-state system that is emerging. Never before has a new world order had to be assembled from so many different perceptions, or on so global a scale.
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A turbulent history has taught Chinese leaders that not every problem has a solution and that too great an emphasis on total mastery over specific events could upset the harmony of the universe.
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Politicians are like dogs, Their life expectancy is too short for a commitment to be bearable
HENRY KISSINGER