Thomas Friedman Quotes

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.

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.

We should not pretend that we can remake the domestic structures of governments all over the world.

American foreign policy must uphold the sanctity of international treaties. That is the cornerstone on which all relations between nations must rest.

I'm tired of the U.S. getting involved in every country's individual disputes.

Nothing in the constitutions of Western states requires them to get involved in every foreign conflict.

I think all foreigners should stop interfering in the internal affairs of Iraq. Those who want to come and help are welcome. Those who come to interfere and destroy are not.

Governments interfere in the affairs of each other, when they conceive their own peace is endangered.

We don't have the temperament to be an occupying power.

Foreign policy begins with domestic policy.

Perhaps we have already intervened too much in the affairs of other peoples.

Foreign policy is too important to be left up to foreign service officers.

No world power has ever tried to manage affair in this particular circumstance: The cycle of News, the cycle of crises, the complexity of grievances in increasing numbers of failed and failing states.

Foreign policy is the most constraining form of policy-making

I don't want a political party in my government that interferes in Arab countries against other Arab countries.

Foreign policy is important.

The United States will always be a global leader, and we need to actively engage the international community to make sure all citizens of the world live freely and equally under their country's rule of law. We cannot, however, afford to fight other nations' wars interminably or stabilize their regions.

When you look at where the Democratic field is going relative to foreign policy, they are increasingly moving away from a policy of pre-emptive self-defense that the president has adopted since September 11.

The most fundamental purpose of government is defense, not empire.

American foreign policy, for all its shortcomings, has underpinned political stability around the world.

Foreign interventions always end badly.

I wish Obama would focus on governing the United States and would forget his country's imperialist pretensions.

Where in the Constitution does it say that because we don't like a foreign country's leader, we should go in and topple the dictator?

International institutions are composed of governments. Governments control their own military forces and police.