Dwight D. Eisenhower Quotes

Great powers engage.

The management of a balance of power is a permanent undertaking, not an exertion that has a foreseeable end.

In relations with other nations, there is neither right nor wrong; there is only strength and weakness.

A supreme pragmatist, Kissinger was never interested in the art of the impossible - and nor, as a biographer, am I. That is why, having initially been invited to write his entire official biography, I eventually decided to devote myself to writing just one year in his life: 1973.

The world cannot be governed without juggling.

We have treated our most serious adversaries, such as Iran and North Korea, in the most juvenile manner - by giving them the silent treatment. In so doing, we have weakened, not strengthened, our bargaining position and our leadership.

Diplomacy is not an end in itself if it does not advance U.S. interests.

It was in our power to cause the Arab governments to renounce the policy of strength toward Israel by turning it into a demonstration of weakness.

American presence is, you know, the major cause of balance of power and the stability in this region.

The White House isn't the place to learn how to deal with international crisis, the balance of power, war and peace, and the economic future of the next generation.

I think if you're going to master policy, especially world affairs, you've got to know history.

President Obama's record on national security is a tribute to his strength, and judgment, and to his preference for inclusion and partnership over partisanship.

Diplomacy and force are two sides of the same coin.

The United States sits down with her enemies because they have some semblance of power.

The origins of the principle of the balance of power are lost in the mists of history.

Abstinence from all injustice to other major powers is a greater tower of strength than anything that can be gained by the sacrifice of permanent tranquility for a seeming temporary advantage.

There are two things that are very expensive in international relations: promises when they succeed and threats when they fail

The Middle East does not follow Las Vegas rules. Whatever happens in the Middle East affects the rest of the world.

Gifts [concessions] to rising powers are rarely reciprocated. Mostly, they are just pocketed.

It is the natural desire of each nation to use the other as an instrument of its own purposes and policies. By dint of our mutual dependence, your influence is amplified by our power. Our power is made more responsible and more effective by your influence.

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

A new multipolar world has brought more uncertainty into international affairs.

When a rising power confronts a ruling power, bad things usually happen.... This is what happens when an extablished entity faces an upstart.... To avoid a disasterous clash like war, both parties have to make an adjustment, but the ruling power has to make more painful adjustments.

The fact is that Hillary Clinton could not stand up to a cheating husband, so how in the world would she stand up to North Korea and some of our other enemies around the globe?

Foreign policy is painstakingly difficult, and if there is to be anything gained from the experience in Libya, it is how not to conduct world affairs.