Leo Tolstoy Quotes
But our idea is that the wolves should be fed and the sheep kept safe.
Tolstoy, Leo. War and Peace. Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, Alfred A. Knopf, 2007.
This treaty ended the 30 Years War where there had been decades of atrocities and abuse and a large part of both sides’ population had a personal grudge and wanted justice (vengeance). Hence the treatment of forgiveness.
South Africa’s transition from apartheid white minority rule to an interracial society with Black majority rule was one of the great political achievements in history. The Black leadership set a tone of reconciliation and inclusiveness that there was neither back retribution and vengeance, nor extensive white flight. Tutu and Nelson Mandella were two of those most resonsible for the leadership, but the good will and Christian charity of the South African blacks was the key to the success where all other white dominated African nations were NOT able to transition without extensive violence and/or flight.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910
George W. Bush. Reference to foreign policy situations like Syria where there is a major conflict or contest between two forces, each of which is fatally flawed from an American point of view.
When there is a serious problem with another country and it appears that military force may have to be used, he and most sophisticated policy makers argue that we should always try diplomacy first. If that does not work, then the military option is still open. If it does work, war or other military action is always available as an option. When politicians do not want to try diplomacy, it is usually that they have an ulterior motive for war and/or military force. Some urge caution with this principle in all cases as sometimes it gives the enemy time to regroup and rearm and he gets stronger by stringing out the negotiations with no intention of a diplomatic solution. In some other cases, as Iran in the second decade of the 21st century when they were suspected of developing a nuclear weapon. The Israeli right wing and some American conservatives wanted no delay in use of military force as that might allow the Iranians to complete an operational message. President Obama and most Americans favored strong economic sanctions with diplomacy first.
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, 9 September, 1828 – 20 November, 1910), usually referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. He received nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature every year from 1902 to 1906 and for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, 1902, and 1909. That he never won is a major controversy.
