Anthony Zinni Quotes
Don't think we've ever convinced the American people that it's not in our interest to be isolationists. Our tendency for the first century, maybe century-and-a-half of our existence was to be isolationists, to hide behind the two mighty oceans, to become self-sufficient, and to follow Washington's caution not to become involved in foreign entanglements and alliances.
Anthony Zinni, Marine Corps General, Commander in Chief, U. S. Forces Central Command, Mid-East Presidential Envoy, Interview, Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley, March 6, 2001
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Shortly thereafter the United States joined the allies and the First World War.
Senator Burton was using this quotation to support the Republican isolation policy that they were advocating at the time. This quotation has been cited by almost every American politician advocating isolationism. Generally it was the Republican party that has been the isolationist advocates in America. However, after the Second World War that began to change, and in the beginning of the 21st century, the George W. Bush Administration, without any declaration of war by Congress, attacked and invaded two different countries starting the Iraq and the Afghanistan Wars. Meanwhile, the Democrats, who had been advocating American activism in foreign affairs also flip flopped and opposed foreign military intervention as Democratic President Obama withdrew American troops from the two Bush wars. The Afghanistan War was the longest war in American history.
The “entangling alliances” phrase was first used by Thomas Jefferson in his First Inaugural Address. He had been Secretary of State in George Washington’s cabinet. The phrase is often misattributed to Washington. The sentiment was definitely his also however.
Inscribed in the John Adams Building of the Library of Congress. On this subject Jefferson was in agreement with George Washington {37176} and his political opponent, John Adams {592705}.
The plan was to have an American agent with a few marines make an alliance with a rival to the throne of Algiers and depose the existing ruler with American “special forces”.
Anthony Charles Zinni is a former United States Marine Corps general and a former Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM). From 2001 to 2003, he served as a special envoy for the United States to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. From 2017 to 2019, he served as a special envoy to help resolve the Qatar diplomatic crisis.
