George F. Kennan Quotes
I sometimes wonder what use there is in trying to protect the West against fancied external threats when the signs of disintegration within are so striking
George F. Kennan, 1904-2005, Historian & U.S. Ambassador to Russia and Yugoslavia, interview with George Urban, Encounter, September 1976
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Even in modern America, we overreact to foreign attacks or acts of terrorism as do most democracies and intestine party conflict is common.
The coup which deposed and then murdered Patrice Lumumba had the help of the American CIA and French Army. Lumumba was a Marxist and Mobutu appeared to be an anti-Communist. The corruption under Lumumba was typical of most African counties but Lumumba himself was an ideologue and but not personally dishonest. Under Mobuto, the Congo—renamed Zaire—became the most corrupt nation on earth, and Mobuto, one of the richest men in the world. Everything he complained of to justify is coup, he himself was guilty of when he consolidated power—moreso than any other 20th century world leader.
Ironically, at the time she wrote this column, Mrs. Roosevelt was being accused of being a communist by some Southerners who associated her strong views against racism and segregation. Some in the North thought she was a communist because of her active role in the New Deal, Yet here she was, willing to use military force to prevent Soviet expansion.
The Crises to which he was referring were the rapidly increasing hostility between Japan and the United States, Britain, and Russia. The very heavily military influence and participation in the government produced a very aggressive foreign policy of expansion in Asia. Sato resigned after two months in office, and served as a senior diplomat thereafter. Towards the end of the war with America & Britain, he was selected as the Japanese diplomat to try and keep Russia out of the war and assist with a negotiated peace. However, by the time he was authorized to approach Russia, the Japanese military situation was so bad that it was clear to the Russians that Japan could not win, so they joined the Allies, declaring was against Japan. After the war, he was one of the few Japanese political figures who had both moral credibility with the Allies and the respect of the Japanese people. He was appointed President of a group of diplomats that would advise the Japanese Parliament regarding foreign affairs.
In retrospect Marshall was prescient and if his advice had been followed, the country would have been much better off at the beginning of WWII. The nation was isolated politically and militarily with Republicans and southern Democrats often opposing President Roosevelt’s attempts to help them defend themselves. There was of yet no political will for military preparedness.
Every major Western power and Japan were looking to control parts of China for their own mercantile advantage. The Emperor, her adopted son, had stated that under no circumstances would the Chinese fight, but Cixi issued this decree, in effect, overruling the Emperor—a remarkable occurrence.
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, NATO expanded to include some fo the former Soviet Nations thus moving NATO territiry to the East--closer to Russia, whose leaders percieved that the expansion was hostile and dangerous for the indpendence of Russia. What made the situation more complex is that the American Secretary of State, when the Soviet Union was very powerful, had made an agreement with the Soviets that in return for Russian aquiessance of NATO being extended to East Germany, NATO would not expand further West. But after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia was quite weak and NATO expanded east despite the earleir comittment. The US and th eother NATO counties took the pozition the previous comitmnts were not binidng as they were never formally signed. The Russians then decided to take a hard line position and flaunt and use military force to which would stop the Western expansion closer to the Russian border.
Early in the Donald Trump Presidency, some of his first decisions, including his Anti-Muslim ban on immigration and vistitation from 7 Islamic nations, were very distrubing to amy politicians experienced in national security and defense. 100 leaders from past adminsitrations, Democratic and Republicans, signed a petition warning that the travek ban endangered our national security. Then 1000 U. S. State Department Diplomats signed a letter advising the President to recind the order for similar reasons. Malinowski was asked if this kind of opposition to a new presidents actions was unusual. This quotation was his reply. Not the use of sarcasim. He states what happened in very stark terms and then says that it is not unusual and there is notjing to worry about, when it was withotu precedent ever and very worrisome to him and others. Quotations using sarcasim are very problimatical becasue just a literal reading, would lead us to believe he was not concened with sich a common occurance.
George Frost Kennan was an American diplomat and historian. He was best known as an advocate of a policy of containment of Soviet expansion during the Cold War. He lectured widely and wrote scholarly histories of the relations between the USSR and the United States. He was also one of the group of foreign policy elders known as "The Wise Men".
