A biography for Zbigniew Brzezinskihasn’t been written yet.
“Given the accelerating velocity of history, we should begin charting deliberately the next phase in its trajectory.”
“According to the official version of history, CIA aid to the Mujahadeen began during 1980, that is to say, after the Soviet army invaded Afghanistan, 24 Dec 1979.”
“The worsening of relations between a declining America and an internally troubled Mexico could even give rise to a particularly ominous phenomenon: the emergence, as a major issue in nationalistically aroused Mexican politics, of territorial claims justified by history and ignited by cross-border incidents.”
“If we can deter the Soviet Union, if we can deter North Korea, why on earth can't we deter Iran?”
“Economically, we are, to some significant degree, interdependent with Chinese well-being. That is a great asset.”
“Commitment and credibility go hand in hand.”
“In Iraq we must succeed. Failure is not an option.”
“Can we really mobilize support, even of friends, when we tell them that if you are not with us you are against us?”
“Neither the United States nor Israel has the capacity to impose a unilateral solution in the Middle East.”
“The culture of self-gratification and deregulation that began during the Clinton years and continued under President George W. Bush led to the bursting of one stock market bubble at the turn of the century and a full-scale financial crash less than a decade later.”
“The financial catastrophe of 2008 nearly precipitated a calamitous economic depression, jolting America and much of the West into a sudden recognition of their systemic vulnerability to unregulated greed.”
“We can't have an intelligent foreign policy unless we have an intelligent public, because we're a democracy.”
“Saddam Hussein was an odious dictator, but he was also a very effective opponent of Iran. He was also a very effective opponent of al-Qaida.”
“Look at Islam in a rational manner and without demagoguery or emotion. It is the leading religion of the world with 1.5 billion followers.”
“The 'war on terror' has created a culture of fear in America.”
“I do think America has made it quite clear that it is in the interest both of America and China to avoid situations in which they will be pushed toward a collision.”
“The public has been told repeatedly that terrorism is 'evil,' which it undoubtedly is, and that 'evildoers' are responsible for it, which doubtless they are. But beyond these justifiable condemnations, there is a historical void.”
“Pessimism about America's future tends to underestimate its capacity for self-renewal.”
“Basically, I see Iran as an authentic nation-state. And that authentic identity gives it cohesion, which most of the Middle East lacks.”
“Waging a colonial war in the post-colonial age is self-defeating.”