Barack Obama Quotes

If you treat China like a foe, surely she will become one.

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.

The best thing we can do if we want the Russians to let us be Americans is to let the Russians be Russian.

Of all the important relationships that Australia has with other countries, none has been more greatly transformed over the last 10 years than our relationship with China.

Alliances do have to deal with political realities.

No country can dictate its laws to the world.

The reason for having diplomatic relations [with Communist China] is not to confer a compliment, but to secure a convenience.... British policy has always been that you recognize when ... Government truly has control. It's not a question of whether you like them or not.

Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong.

No nation can ever be safe in the position it holds among nations, however great and however imposing, unless it recognizes those principles of justice and equality which bind together the nations of the world.

Our foreign policy has from the beginning endeavored to take into account the realities and to work accordingly, But it has never dropped from its high moral ideals; it wanted to be and, I think it really and truly was, idealistic and founded entirely upon moral principles

While pursuing its own interests, a country should accommodate the legitimate interests of others.

Compromise is not a word that generally makes political hearts flutter, and it is even less loved when it comes to the politics of U. S. foreign policy

We must want peace, but not be afraid of war because our fear of war made us compromise during these past few years with our principles and our standards.

It is a principle incorporated into the settled policy of America, that as peace is better than war, war is better than tribute..

When it comes to China’s relationship with foreign countries, it is of course better to have peace. But before we can have real peace, China must be ready to fight. If we give in to every demand, then the more we seek peace, the less likely we are going to get it.

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.

Well, I think both Russia and China have a very strong aversion to interference in internal affairs.

If the Chinese will not learn the true principles of government, all else will be useless. Knowledge is power, and although a country may be weak, still, if it possess but a modicum of knowledge, the enemy will not be able to completely overthrow it; although that country may be in danger, the race will not be extirpated.

We do not worry about how a sovereign country keeps its relations with others.

Ultimately, when you have to deal with a whole country, priorities change.

We are a small country and we have limited influence so we are neutral.

In relations between the states ... the interests of the country should be correlated with the interests of other countries, and compromise is to be found when resolving the most complex issues.

Using the Japan-U.S. alliance as a basis, it is important that we maintain and develop cooperative relations with our neighboring countries such as China, South Korea, and Russia.

We have a much bigger objective. We've got to look at the long run here. This is an example - the situation between the United Nations and Iraq - where the United Nations is deliberately intruding into the sovereignty of a sovereign nation.... Now this is a marvelous precedent (to be used in) all countries of the world.

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.