At the State Department, where I oversaw our human rights diplomacy, I often confronted dictatorships like China about their censorship of the Internet, which they justified by claiming they were merely filtering out lies. Our government cannot and should not take that path.
Camus believed in dialogue and diplomacy, and enlisted his work as a philosopher to the need to find nonviolent solutions, whereas Sartre called for violent conflicts and justified terror.
We must use all the tools of American power in resolving disputes, including diplomacy. And we must have sufficient congressional debate and oversight before ever putting another U.S. solider in harm’s way.
Take the diplomacy out of war and the thing would fall flat in a week.
Talking and diplomacy is often seen as a concession in America, in a way that it is not in other places.
English, once accepted as an international language, is no more secure than French has proved to be as the one and only accepted language of diplomacy or as Latin has proved to be as the international language of science.
Force is not inevitable. Diplomacy is still the desired means. Pressure is an element of the means.
The alliance with the United States is and will always be the foundation of our diplomacy and national security.
Our diplomacy and development budget is not just about reducing spending and finding efficiencies. We need a frank conversation about what we stand for as that ‘shining city on a hill.’ And that conversation begins by acknowledging that we can’t do it on the cheap.
Diplomacy can and will matter; little is inevitable in international relations.
You learn, just as you learn good manners, how to approach things with a certain amount of diplomacy.
There are few ironclad rules of diplomacy but to one there is no exception. When an official reports that talks were useful, it can safely be concluded that nothing was accomplished.
Diplomacy is important, extremely important, and I don’t think these reductions at the State Department are appropriate because many times diplomacy is a lot more effective – and cert cheaper – than military engagement.
There are no military solutions – dialogue and diplomacy are the only guarantee of lasting peace.
In Asia, personal relationships are important, but you cannot personalise diplomacy.
Our country desperately needs a president with a depth of global experience and an understanding of all the elements of our nation’s power, from our economy and our diplomacy to the power of our ideals and our military, including its limitations.
One of my goals upon becoming Secretary of State was to take diplomacy out of capitals, out of government offices, into the media, into the streets of countries.
An effective U.S. policy toward Sudan – one capable of changing the situation in the south and affecting the lives of its people – will require top-level attention and a great deal of energy. It should have three elements: aid, diplomacy, and financial disclosure.
There are some issues where we have common interests with Germany, there are some others that we don’t… The diplomacy between good neighbors doesn’t mean nodding one to another.
Diplomacy is listening to what the other guy needs. Preserving your own position, but listening to the other guy. You have to develop relationships with other people so when the tough times come, you can work together.
We must never relent in our efforts to resolve conflicts through diplomacy and through all of the instruments bestowed by the Charter of the United Nations.
The Olympics is a time primarily for sport and celebration, but diplomacy does not stop at the door of the U.N., and for it to work, it must be sustained and consistent.
Richard Holbrooke is known for many things, but I will remember him as an impressive, sometimes even intimidating diplomat who understood the value of culture in diplomacy.
The Obama administration has been trying out a new policy toward Syria since the day it came to office. The Bush cold shoulder was viewed as a primitive reaction, now to be replaced by sophisticated diplomacy. Outreach would substitute for isolation.
I was a history major at Princeton University; I took exams in war and diplomacy, and I find those things very fascinating.
I don’t think a country needs to bypass diplomacy, they don’t need to attack us under the radar.
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