Ben Rhodes Quotes
In both Burma and Laos, we have engaged countries that were once adversaries, and will continue to do so in ways that promote good relations, development, and human rights.
Rhodes, Ben. "The President’s Trip to Asia." Medium, 30 Aug. 2016.
She was instrumental in forming the United Nations, but one of its weaknesses was and has been since that it was very difficult and cumbersome for the UN to mount a military force to defend a country or region against aggression. The situation has not improved much on that score since 1948. Israel had just been created by the United Nations, but over a dozen Arab State armies attacked the fledgling Jewish nation. The Israelis, against all odds, not only defended their territory but were able to seize key Arab military and strategic areas. Mrs. Roosevelt, and most of the world, assumed that under the circumstances, the Arabs would negotiate a peace treaty with Israel to regain their land. However, the Arab nations would not recognize the State of Israel and would not even negotiate with the Israelis. ER and most of the world was wrong. Instead, the Arab nations’ strategy was to have a cease fire and build their military strength to attack later in greater force. When that also failed and Israel won the subsequent wars, the Arabs then turned to Terrorism. 60 years later, the Israelis and the Arabs were further apart in many ways than in 1948.
For over 50 years both the United States and Cuba had carried grudges about the Bay of Pigs, the boycott on purcuase of life saving medicine and U. S. attempts to assassiate Fidel Castro on the Cuban site, and the expropriation of Americans' Coban Prepoert, the poor record on human rights, the Mariel Boat Lift, and the harboring of American criminals for the United States. The policy positions held by the two nations had not produced anything constructive so the parties agreed to try and build closer ties. In just two years of a limited reproachment some progress had been made and Prices point about getting beyond the past tried to get all focussed on the future.
Benjamin J. Rhodes is an American writer, political commentator and former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting under President Barack Obama. With Jake Sullivan, he is the co-chair of National Security Action, a political NGO. He contributes to NBC News and MSNBC regularly as a political commentator. He is also a Crooked Media contributor, and co-host of the foreign policy podcast Pod Save the World.
