David P. Auerswald Quotes

… deterrence success is heavily dependent both on signaling the adversary on your intentions and on that adversary interpreting your signals correctly. Communications, through words and deeds, is thus central to a deterrence relationship.

Deterrence is when someone who is your potential adversary, decides not to bother because they know it’s not going to work.

In international affairs, you never threaten things you're not prepared to do.

A great amount has been talked and written about what constitutes a sufficient balance and what really is meant by the concepts of 'balance' and 'deterrence'.

You can do a lot with diplomacy, but with diplomacy backed up by force you can get a lot more done

The distinction between preparations made with the intention of going to war and preparations against attack is it true distinction, clear and definite than the mind of those who build up armaments. But it is a distinction that is not obvious or certain to others. The moral is obvious: it is that that armaments lead inevitably to war.

I built a nuclear option to get peace, not to have bombs. Our enemies learned that they could not destroy us.

It is not important what the other side says or means. What is important are the military capabilities of the other side.

Let us recollect that peace or war will not always be left to our option; that however moderate or unambitious we may be, we cannot count upon the moderation, or hope to extinguish the ambition of others.

Appeasement was never a very clever policy, and it should not be our option today.

Trust between allies is as important as deterrence of foes.

The ability to get to the verge without getting into the war is a necessary art …. If you are scared to go to the brink, you are lost.

Repel force by force

Knowing what an opponent values is a necessary condition for deterrence success.

Sanctions are not diplomacy; they are a precursor to war.

'Peace through Strength' only works if you have and show strength.

Peace is purchased from strength. It's not purchased from weakness or unilateral retreats.

Let him who desires peace prepare for war.

If you treat China like a foe, surely she will become one.

I think most Americans believe that although it's better not to use military force if you can avoid it, that the world simply doesn't provide us the luxury of giving away military force as an important tool of foreign policy.

Politics are very much like war. We may even have to use poison gas at times.

War is the ultimate tool of politics.

It's not a choice between war and peace. It's a choice between war and endless war. It's not appeasement. I think it's better even to call it American self-interest.

Additionally, borrowing a page from U.S. foreign policy, I decided to send a message to a government that was becoming increasingly hostile.

War is the continuation of politics by other means.