John Bolton Quotes

America must always lead on the world stage.

I think the U.S. should assert its leadership in a more effective way.

Even allies don’t share every single interest that you have. That’s a law of nature in the international system. They will tell you most of what you need to know but there may be some things that they don’t tell you that you need to know in order to formulate your policy as wisely as you can.

Obama's foreign policy is strangely self-centered, focused on himself and the United States rather than on the conduct and needs of the nations the United States allies with, engages with, or must confront.

The United States plays, for the most part, a constructive global role, and to the extent that that role shrinks, other countries, even those most critical of what America does abroad, will suffer.

I cite these events because I think they underline two very disturbing phenomena - the loss of U.S. international credibility, the growing U.S. international isolation.

Making the case for sustained U. S. [world] leadership is not always easy. Unilateralism or isolationism often make for better sound bites.

If the United States disengages from many issues confronting the international community it will be replaced.

China has a more assertive, proactive foreign policy as its interests are growing around the world.

To his credit, Obama has undertaken a truly ambitious effort to redefine the United States' view of the world and to reconnect the United States with the emerging historical context of the twenty-first century. He has done this remarkably well.

There is no substitute for American leadership and exceptionalism.

I would hope that Europe always has a privileged relationship with the United States. The alternatives are not attractive.

The Americans have a very active presence and policy in every single part of the world and if we broke with them, we would lose any possibility of influencing them. They would go in for global unilateralism, and the world would be a more dangerous place.

Our alliances and our credibility are crucial elements of our working capital in advancing America's interests in the world, and they have been eroded over the last four years.

The United States has some people in Europe with whom we disagree on this matter and a large number of people in Europe, including governments in Europe, with whom we agree.

Turkey has worked alongside its allies from the beginning.

I believe a relationship with a country is simply bound to the interests of two countries and not by personal issues.

Secretary Clinton has dramatically changed the face of U.S. foreign policy globally for the good. But I wish she had been unleashed more by the White House.

As far as the international issues are concerned, the most important thing is the state of the transatlantic relationships, Euro-Atlantic relationships: how to develop them and how to strengthen them further.

American influence is not what it used to be.

America has saved the world most of the time, but messed it up a couple of times.

Americans tend to see U.S. primacy as beneficial to both their country and the rest of the world.

Under the Nixon-Ford administration, there has evolved a kind of secretive "Lone Ranger" foreign policy—a one-man policy of international adventure. This is not an appropriate policy for America.

The voice and force of the United States may count for nothing if they are withheld too long.

The United States may have to abandon its policy of avoiding entangling alliances.