Bret Stephens Quotes

I have always thought that foreign-policy idealism has to be tempered with realism.

The American people deserve an honest assessment of the state of our foreign affairs.

No matter how well formulated a foreign policy may be, it cannot be sustained without the informed consent of the American people.

One doesn't set aside reality in pursuing our interests abroad.

You have an administration which understands America's international responsibilities and interests, but you have a population which is anxious, tired, and doesn't want to bear any burden and pay any price. And that's very difficult for whoever becomes president.

Politically, foreign policy never matters until it matters, and then it matters a lot.

I think Mrs. Clinton has a lot of weaknesses because she was the architect of the Obama administration's foreign policy.

Foreign policy must be about priorities. The United States cannot do everything everywhere.

The American people voted for a president, Donald Trump, who's very tough, very strong, very aggressive on terrorism, but at the same time smart. At the same time sophisticated. At the same time, heeding the wisdom of our founders who warned about entangling foreign engagement.

Realism is important in foreign policy. You have to be realistic about what you can achieve, and about the pitfalls, and problems along the way, of which there are plenty. Nothing is easy. It's always rough.

I said it was my feeling that the American people would struggle for peace, and that has since been underscored by the President of these United States.

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

Bill Clinton's foreign policy experience stems mainly from having breakfast at the International House of Pancakes.

The Vietnam War required us to emphasize the national interest rather than abstract principles. What President Nixon and I tried to do was unnatural. And that is why we didn't make it.

Our foreign policy needs to support our energy, economic, defense and domestic policies. It all falls within the arch of national interest. There will be windows of opportunity, but they will open and close quickly.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great sadness that I announce that I will resign as Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs. I am sad because I love this job. I'm totally dedicated to the work that we are doing in Australia's name around the world, and I believe that we have achieved many good results for Australia, and I'm proud of them.

I have always seen the United States as a force of good. And I have learned that there is the idealistic part about what we can do at the U.N. and there is a doable part. And I have learned what is more doable.

There are legitimate, even powerful arguments, to be made against the Bush administration's foreign policy. But those arguments are complicated, hard to explain, and, in the end, not all that sensational.

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.

Look, I think the notion that there's a dogma or doctrine of foreign policy that gives you a textbook recipe for how to react to all situations is really nonsense.

I dare say that a majority of the American people think that having a fair hearing on an issue of importance in our relations with Mexico is extremely important to our national interest, as well as theirs.

One thing that we should have learned from history is to pay attention to the words of foreign leaders.

… realpolitik

This is not going to be decided by public opinion polls. It is a national security issue.

That is where American foreign policy begins—with the interest, the aspirations, and the values of the American people.