Howard Zinn Quotes

'Smart power' is the use of American power in ways that would help prevent and resolve conflict - not just send our military in.

America's leadership and prestige depend, not merely upon our unmatched material progress, riches and military strength, but on how we use our power in the interests of world peace and human betterment.

It's sort of well-known that anytime any catastrophe happens anywhere in the world, they can count on the United States for help.

In human rights and peacemaking, it's really about having a solid concrete goal - the reduction of human suffering somewhere in the world - and then doing what is required to get that goal achieved.

The United States has far more to offer the world than our bombs and missiles and our military technology.

It's clear that the United States has more to give the world than military bases.

I am grateful to President George W. Bush for PEPFAR, which is saving the lives of millions of people in poor countries and to both Presidents Bush for the work we've done together after the South Asia tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and the Haitian earthquake.

There was not an ambassador in the world who was not my personal human rights representative.

The definition of superpower cannot mean only military might anymore.

A nation is a superpower not just because of its military strength.

A superpower, however, is only as good as the forces through which it exercises that power.

My belief is that when the military is used as the sole instrument of power, that never has a good outcome. If there's no one to take ownership and develop that failed state, human suffering can be even worse than that created by the conflict itself.

Indeed, we're strongest when the face of America isn't only a soldier carrying a gun but also a diplomat negotiating peace, a Peace Corps volunteer bringing clean water to a village, or a relief worker stepping off a cargo plane as floodwaters rise.

I think it's always been understood that Canada is not a country that's going to stand up and beat its chest on the world stage, but we can be very helpful in modelling solutions that work.

I believe that our communities can benefit if they know about and participate in the U.N.'s various human rights forums.

America must always lead on the world stage. If we don't, no one else will. The military that you have joined is, and always will be, the backbone of that leadership. But U.S. military action cannot be the only - or even primary - component of our leadership in every instance. Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail.

Japan redefined world power. They showed you could become a world power without having a military.

The image of a country is not just about economic and military strength. The soft face of a country also makes a difference. Sports are one such soft power which can capture the world's attention to India.

The UN is committed to the goal of ensuring that all nations share in economic, social, & scientific progress. It delivers humanitarian assistance to the victims of wars and natural disasters.

Someday war and poverty will be crazy and we will wonder how the world allowed such things to exist.

We will continue to deepen our engagement using every element of American power - diplomacy, military, economic development, the power of our values and our ideals.

As the wealthiest country with all the blessings that we have, do we have an obligation to help the outside world? I think we do, as we have an obligation to help everyone within our own borders. The problem is that this automatically gets translated into: "What's the point of having a huge military if we can't bomb people?" That's the problem that I have. Our foreign policy is essentially our defense policy.

I would say that I have been consistent in my broad view of how American power should be deployed, and the view that we underestimate our power when we restrict it to just our military power. We shortchange our influence and our ability to shape events when that's the only tool we think we have in the toolbox.

In the whole history of this country, we have probably won more friends from the power of our example than from the power of our military.

The fact that our largest presence in the world is our massive military is going to dictate how we engage with the world.