A biography for Antony Blinkenhasn’t been written yet.
“The world is not self-organizing.”
“By alienating Muslim communities and our closest allies, Mr. Trump would destroy the partnerships we need to effectively fight terror.”
“Especially when it comes to national security, there is a premium on an administration speaking clearly, consistently and precisely, starting with the president.”
“The Iranian regime is nothing if not resilient. It fought an eight-year-long war with Iraq to a draw despite losing hundreds of thousands of lives; it has survived decades of isolation.”
“It's true that no policy fully survives first contact. But if you don't spend time anticipating the shots you are likely to take, you wind up flailing about wildly.”
“The targets of George W. Bush's 'axis of evil' speech were not Iraq, Iran and North Korea. Those regimes don't need a State of the Union address to know where they stand with the Bush administration. The intended audience was elsewhere: in France, Russia and China.”
“In the end, North Korea's conduct may change only when its leadership does.”
“Washington should tell governments that printing lies and teaching intolerance will have consequences in terms of foreign assistance, political support and military aid.”
“Visitors to a future Donald J. Trump presidential library may find a whole section dedicated to his demolition of the 2015 Iran nuclear accord: 'worst deal ever;' 'horrible' and 'one-sided;' 'major embarrassment;' 'defective at its core.'”
“In times of crisis, credibility is an American president's most valuable currency.”
“It's hard to overstate the lasting harm Mr. Tillerson's tenure will do to America's diplomacy.”
“The United States genuinely sought to advance Russia's integration into the West and into international institutions. We genuinely sought to support Russia. We wanted a strong, successful Russia, not a weak and contained one.”
“When it comes to climate change, I think that success at home is directly tied to our ability to lead effectively abroad.”
“The United States will rightfully go on deploring human rights excesses in the Soviet Union. And it is hardly likely Americans will one day espouse the communist ideology. But nowhere does it say we cannot live in peace with the U.S.S.R. In the nuclear age, there is truly no alternative.”
“Interests change and diverge; values do not.”
“אף שנטילת תפקיד מנהיגות [בעולם] היא עול, האלטרנטיבות מבחינת האינטרסים שלנו והחיים של אמריקאים, הן גרועות הרבה יותר.”
“העובדה שטראמפ נטש את ההסכם ולא הציג שום אלטרנטיבה דיפלומטית היא החלטה גרועה... החלטתו של טראמפ לא רק שהביאה את איראן להאצת פרויקט הגרעין שלה, אלא גם הביאה לסיכון משמעותי הרבה יותר של ישראל, שבעקבות ההחלטה הועמדה במרכז החזית מול איראן.”
“כולם מבינים שכרגע שני הצדדים רחוקים מלהסכים על משהו, אבל ביידן יפעל, לכל הפחות, על מנת להחזיר את ההידברות בין שני הצדדים.”
“איראן עם נשק גרעיני, או על סף רכישת יכולת כזאת בתוך זמן קצר, תהיה מסוכנת... יש לנו אחריות לעשות בדחיפות כל מה שאנחנו יכולים כדי למנוע ממנה להשיג או לייצר נשק או להתקרב ליכולת לפרוץ לשם בהתראה קצרה.”