Niall Ferguson Quotes

Great powers engage.

War is but an instrument of international policy.

Foreign policy should be strategic, not tactical.

So much of our foreign policy is based on other people’s weakness.

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

In international relations, in foreign policy, a great deal has to do with historical circumstances, a great deal has to do with the sense and perception of people.

I remain committed to a balanced policy, which will protect our national interests both on our eastern border - I mean with Russia - and of course with the European Union.

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

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

One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition with you, you will have a coalition against you. I don't want to see China and Russia on the side of Iran more strongly than they are.

The international community lies at the center of the Obama foreign policy. Unfortunately, it is a fiction. There is no such thing. Different countries have different histories, geographies, necessities, and interests. There's no natural, inherent, or enduring international community.

Every nation whose affairs betray a want of wisdom and stability may calculate on every loss which can be sustained from the more systematic policy of its wiser neighbors.

Foreign policy is consumed with momentary crises —– often created by failing states and violent groups. But in the long run, he future is shaped by winners, not noisy losers.

Foreign policy matters cannot be intelligently decided in a large general meeting.

Very near the heart of all foreign affairs is the relationship between policy and military power.

I could have been very popular if I had launched a military attack on Iran but I chose patience.

The simple fact about alliances is that different nations have their own interests.

Russia doesn’t like it when it is humiliated, when it is pressured.

Would it not be worthwhile to pause a moment before we commit ourselves to war at the pleasure of other nations in whose councils we shall have but one vote?

There are two things that are very expensive in international relations: promises when they succeed and threats when they fail

I don’t think that we should ever apply our military power unilaterally…. If we cannot persuade like-minded, friendly nations of the wisdom of our policy, then maybe we should rethink the policy.

The Middle East does not follow Las Vegas rules. Whatever happens in the Middle East affects the rest of the world.

It is the natural desire of each nation to use the other as an instrument of its own purposes and policies. By dint of our mutual dependence, your influence is amplified by our power. Our power is made more responsible and more effective by your influence.

In war there are no easy choices.

All small countries have the same problems and concerns about being protected from larger countries and their influences.