James Baker Quotes

I care about people's human rights and, as a country, we have a very proud record indeed. But I'm also realistic about what we can do... we can raise those issues with leaders and we can talk about those issues, and we do that.

The promotion and preservation of human rights can and should be the driving force for world affairs.

I refer to calls for humanitarian intervention in the affairs of another state - a new idea, this - even when they are made under the pretext of defending human rights and freedoms.

Respect for human rights is a cornerstone of U. S. foreign policy.

Defending human rights should be an important objective of foreign policy, and that, too, will sometimes be hard to reconcile with an economic agenda, especially when it comes to dealing with rich but repressive players like China and Russia.

The Great Seal was an early proclamation of 'humanitarian intervention,' to use the currently fashionable phrase.

Promoting and protecting human rights internationally is not just a matter of principle or morality - doing so also serves our national security interests.

Big global players like China need to do a better job of respecting human rights.

I do think that every super power on the globe has a very poor record on human rights.

Foreign relations should involve human rights, workers' rights, and environmental protection.

Our concern for human rights comes to the fore when there are gross violations of human decencies. Then other countries, including China, must recognize that this affects the American attitude towards their country. But towards what precise institutions will it evolve? I think we ought to leave something to history.

I think clearly the United States, as well as other western nations, should stand by their commitments to human rights and democracy and should try to influence other countries to move in that direction.

I would say issues around human rights - either you're going to take a hard stance, or you're not. You can't borrow money from China the way the U.S. has done and then turn around and say, 'But you've got a human-rights problem.' You can't be half pregnant.

Upholding human rights is not merely compatible with fighting terrorism, it is essential.

It is one thing to be against unilateralism and against nonhumanitarian interventionism - but it is quite another thing to be against humanitarian interventionism.

The U.S. government engages with many countries around the world in official dialogues on human rights.

Human rights is the soul of our foreign policy, because human rights is the very soul of our sense of nationhood.

In the '90s, there was scant presidential leadership and insufficient domestic political mobilization for foreign policy grounded in human rights.

Every foreign policy has to have a moral purpose.

There was not an ambassador in the world who was not my personal human rights representative.

Preserving peace does not always coincide with the promotion of human rights.

It is both wrong and short-sighted to believe that we can better protect our national security interests by ignoring or sidelining human rights.

America should always stand for human rights and freedom, but not through endless military intervention.

Countries often prioritise economic interests over human rights - hence all the kowtowing to China.

Human rights in China should absolutely play a role in broader U.S. policy toward China. When we look the other way on fundamental issues of human rights, we are also responsible.