Gordon Adams Quotes

The U.S. has intervened more often in more countries farther from its own shores than has any power in modern history.

To call the American role in the world imperial was, for many who did so, a way of asserting that the United States was misusing its power beyond its borders and, in so doing, subverting its founding political principles within them.

Bush will keep up that policy that gives the United State the role of promoting freedom in the world.

Scholars and historians have dubbed the last 100 years the American Century, and I think there can be little doubt that the Council on Foreign Relations helped to make it so.

People make mistakes. And one of the mistakes that the United States consistently made was that it could intervene and somehow adjust people's governments, especially in the Middle East.

I don’t think America wants democracies in the Middle East. They wouldn’t be nearly as friendly to us

The American nation cannot reach across the planet and pick the leadership of other countries.

The best American internationalists reject the idea that their nation holds a global copyright that gives it a mandate to churn out replicas dotting the world.

The United States is the world's best hope; but if you fetter her in the interests and quarrels of other nations, if you tangle her in the intrigues of Europe, you will destroy her power for good and endanger her very existence.

The only things that matter in the world are Japan and China, Russia and Europe. Latin America doesn’t matter…. And … there’s nothing you can do about the Middle East.

Power is the true reserve currency in international affairs.

It’s not America’s job to fix the Middle East. Our job is to look after our own interests..

Both Russia and the United States are struggling to define their proper roles in the world.

Americans might not want to intervene in the outside world, but the outside world will still want to intervene in America.

I don't see any possibility of Britain and the U.S. allowing a sovereign independent Iraq; that's almost inconceivable.

I'm not so sure the role of the United States is going around the world saying this is the way its gotta be.

The statesmen still say that we should not interfere in the internal affairs of other nations and yet it is not possible any longer not to interfere, even when we do not mean to do so.

Diplomacy is not an end in itself if it does not advance U.S. interests.

American presence is, you know, the major cause of balance of power and the stability in this region.

But, if you believe we should go around the world overturning regimes to make little United States, I don't agree with that, because I don't think we're capable of doing that.

No nation has friends only interests.

America is interested in re-arranging the region as it sees fit.

I think if you're going to master policy, especially world affairs, you've got to know history.

The problem with the U.S. foreign policy is that we're just so unbelievably powerful. And when you've got that kind of power, it's very hard not to use it.

Obama is cutting back on the idea that we're going to have Jeffersonian democracy in Pakistan or anywhere else.