John Bolton Quotes

In the wake of Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state, where she was the architect of the Obama administration's foreign policy, we see entire portions of the world, particularly the wider Middle East, literally spinning out of control.

Diplomacy should always be the first option, and every mission should have a clear, achievable objective that is in the interests of the United States.

The United States is willing to exert strong leadership to give diplomacy its very best chance to succeed.

Too often in Washington we tend to see foreign policy as an abstraction, with little understanding of what we are committing our country to: the complications and consequences of endeavors.

We need a foreign policy that distinguishes America's friends from her enemies, and recognizes the true threats that we face.

No one can think intelligently on the many complicated problems of American foreign policy unless he decides first what he considers the real purpose and object of that policy…. Fundamentally, I believe the ultimate purpose of our foreign policy must be to protect the liberty of the people of the United States.

U. S. Foreign Policy is usually largely reactive.

American foreign policy towards Egypt, even before the Arab Spring, was tentative. When the Muslim Brotherhood moved against the NGOs—many of whom were American, President Obama, instead of raising Hell, raised questions.

The United States has become geopolitically hobbled seemingly interested in grand strategic initiatives or transformative diplomacy, as its attention constantly dances from one crisis to another.

We need to plus-up the budget of the State Department, increase the amount of aid we give, and help the world through this difficult moment. That is the price of leadership.

Secretary Tillerson is not going anywhere. I can vouch for that. He is where he is, he continues to be strong in how he handles foreign policy, and I continue to work well with him.

There's no question, I think, as more and more people get to know Rex Tillerson, they're going to be really proud of the choice that Donald Trump made as our next secretary of state.

We need some leverage with the Russians, because they are not going to come to the negotiating table for a diplomatic resolution, unless there is some leverage over them.

Everything I did as secretary of state was in furtherance of America's interests and our values.

Nixon is a strong leader with a good grasp of the world's problems. He knows that the only way to argue with the communists is from a position of strength.

What we (U.S.) have done, is undertaken diplomacy through public assertions that tend to alienate everyone.

It's worth remembering George W. Bush, Barack Obama also came in thinking they had the magic key to better, warmer relations with Russia; those efforts ended in tears.

We need American foreign policy that tells the world very clearly that it is bad to be our enemy and good to be our friend.

Hillary Clinton was an outstanding secretary of state. She would never intentionally put America in any kind of jeopardy.

I am proposing a new foreign policy focused on advancing America's core national interests - so important - promoting regional stability, and producing and easing the tensions within our very troubled world.

I know the American administration is trying to refurbish its image after Irangate, especially in the Middle East and among their friends in this area. No doubt about it. We are following it.

We are coming to realise that foreign operations in today's world call for a total diplomacy ... Ambassadors can no longer be content with wining and dining, reporting, analysing and cautiously predicting.

When I became secretary of state, I felt one of my primary jobs was building relationships around the world. And I did spend a lot of time and effort thinking through, How do I connect with this person?..

The State Department desperately needs to be vigorously harnessed. It has too big a role to play in the formulation of foreign policy, and foreign policy is too important to be left up to foreign service officers.

The United States plays, for the most part, a constructive global role, and to the extent that that role shrinks, other countries, even those most critical of what America does abroad, will suffer.