Jim Mattis Quotes

But I would say if the Security Council is only relevant if it agrees with the United States, then we have come a long way in a direction that I do not like very much.

America simply prefers to deal with dictators.

World politics is not a kindergarten.

Multilateralism may be little more than a polite way of camouflaging what is in practice unilateralism with allies.

It’s not a dictatorship in the United States. But it is dictatorial to the rest of the world. Who’s going to say no?

The world order and American actions in the world have deep wiring.

It is not just for a few states to sit and veto global approvals.

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.

We should force European governments to choose between Paris and Washington.

There are nearly 200 countries and a population of over 6 billion in today's world. International affairs should be addressed by all countries through consultations rather than monopolised by a few powers.

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.

We shouldn't discuss the world of tomorrow in terms of becoming a balance to the United States. The real issue is whether the United States will define herself as part of the U.N. system-or not.

The problem with the United Nations is that while democracy within nations is the best available form of government, democracy among nations can be a moral disaster - especially if some nations are not democracies.

But I believe that the DPKO at this time was very much involved with American administration and was acting, taking on consideration the demand or the recommendation of the American administration. American administration was very powerful.

I had been brought up in the law and had this sort of instinct that international law operates and was there to protect principles and not to be the plaything of power and might - which I now know, of course, to be an absolute nonsense. International law should be spelled l-o-r-e.

Since the end of the Cold War, hegemonism has become increasingly unpopular.

You either deny terrorists any acceptance in the international life, or you make your double standard policy work the way it has been working - 'I don't like that guy in this country, so we will be calling him a dictator and topple him. This guy in another country also dictatorial, but he's our dictator.'

I don't believe in ideology in international relations.

Every government is in some respects a problem for every other government.

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

All foreign policy is the intervention of one nation's domestic politics into another nation's domestic politics.

The moment it became in the interests of one or the other of the Great Powers to alter the status quo, none of these treaty structures ever stood in the way of such alteration.

Political and security realities have reduced the scope of American unilateralism.

A multipolar world means more compromise [on Human Rights violations]… more back-scratching and less principled denunciation.

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