Notable Quotes

Nuclear

"IF NORTH KOREA AND IRAN BECOME ESTABLISHED NUCLEAR WEAPONS STATES over the next several years, the nonproliferation regime will have been hollowed out. If Pakistan were to lose control of even one nuclear weapon that was ultimately used by terrorists, that would change the world."  Graham Allison, "Nuclear Disorder," ForeignAffairs (January/February 2010)

"REALIZATION OF THE LIMITATION of the real utility of nuclear weapons as well as of the external and internal costs and risks associated with possessing these weapons should compel Russia to start walking along the path to Global Zero together with other nuclear powers."  Simon Saradzhyan, "Nuclear Russia: ‘Zero' Possibility," International Relations and Security Network (October 7, 2009)

"GIVEN HIS STATED BELIEF THAT IRANIAN DEVELOPMENT OF A NUCLEARWEAPON IS UNACCEPTABLE, Obama may face further hard choices. But, our present course on Iran will surely fail. Iran has unclenched its fist to slap us in the face. It is time to wake up."  William H. Tobey, "Iran Unfolds its Fist to Slap us in the Face," Boston Globe (February 4, 2010)

Af/Pak and South Asia

"AT EVERY STAGE OF THE LENGTHY CONFLICT that has brought the U.S. into the region, Pakistan has sought to limit Indian influence in Afghanistan. For both Pakistan and India, Afghanistan risks turning into a new disputed territory, like Kashmir, where conflict has damaged both countries for more than 60 years. In Afghanistan today, both countries have an opportunity to reject that precedent and act on their mutual interest in stability."  Hassan Abbas, "Pakistan and India Should Consider Collaborating This Time," Daily Star (December 4, 2008)

"THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION IS RIGHT TO FOCUS ON FIXING a faltering war in Afghanistan and shoring up a weak and unstable Pakistan. But it has been less attentive to one of the most important bipartisan achievements of the Clinton and Bush years-the creation of a long-term U.S. friendship and partnership with India." Nicholas Burns, "Ways Obama Can Tend Bonds with India," Boston Globe (November 24, 2009)

"IN FACT, A SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER U.S. PRESENCE IN AFGHANISTAN may paradoxically generate more anti-Americanism outside Afghanistan and ultimately more anti- Western terrorism than a more conventional military approach."  Thomas Hegghammer, "The Big Impact of Small Footprints," Foreign Policy (November 11, 2009)

"[T]HE KARZAI GOVERNMENT AND THE NATIONS INVOLVED in Afghanistan have fallen into a cruel and dysfunctional arranged marriage that seems too often to lack common values, common projects, trust, and even patience. Each undermines the other's legitimacy."  Rory Stewart, "Afghanistan: What Could Work," New York Review of Books (January 14, 2010)

"THE BOTTOM LINE: staying in Afghanistan will cost many more dead American soldiers- and, inevitably, Afghan civilians-and hundreds of billions of additional dollars."  StephenWalt, "High Cost, Low Odds," Nation (October 21, 2009)

Climate

"THE COPENHAGEN NEGOTIATIONS have essentially failed to include . . . the question of import tariffs or other trade penalties that individual countries apply against the products of other countries that they deem too carbon-intensive. . . . Properly designed, they could turn out to be the missing instrument needed to get each country to cut emissions. . ."  Jeffrey Frankel, "Border Measures Could Make Climate Policy Better or-More Likely-Worse," Jeff FrankelsWeblog (December 16, 2009)

"THE CRITICAL ASPECT OF USING A TAX SHIFT to address climate change is that it applies a known price to carbon, so companies can figure out how much they might earn by developing climate-friendly fuels and technologies. . ."  Elaine Kamark, "A Carbon Tax Would Provide a Sunnier Forecast," Politico (December 9, 2009)

Economy

"IN THIS NEW WORLD, THE DOLLAR HAS SHIFTED from being almost the sole ‘reserve currency' of many countries to being the primary ‘investment currency,' a role that it will continue to play far into the future."  Martin Feldstein, "The Dollar's Fall Reflects a New Role for Reserves," FinancialTimes (December 10, 2009)

"THE CHIMERICAN ERA IS DRAWING TO A CLOSE. Given the bursting of the debt and housing bubbles, Americans will have to kick their addiction to cheap money and easy credit. The Chinese authorities understand that heavily indebted American consumers cannot be relied on to return as buyers of Chinese goods on the scale of the period up to 2007."  Niall Ferguson, "The Great Wallop," NewYork Times (November 16, 2009)

"IF YOU LOOK AT TOTAL JOB CREATION OVER THE LAST DECADE, we created essentially no jobs. If you look at the total performance of the market, we created essentially no returns. If you look at the total performance of income, we produced very little real income growth for families. We as a country can do much . . . better than that. The basic objective of the president's policies is to unlock our potential, to do just that."  Lawrence Summers, interview on "The Charlie Rose Show" (January 29, 2010)

Middle East

"THOSE JEWISH AMERICANS who sharea deep concern for Israel's trials and travailshave the right, even the duty, to express theircriticism within the Jewish community, thepublic at large, pretty much anywhere-exceptbefore the administration and Congress. There,we have to present one voice-not ‘pro' everyIsraeli policy, but united, unswerving supportfor Israel and a strong U.S.-Israel relationship."Chuck Freilich, "AIPAC, JStreet, or JDate?"Jerusalem Post (October 12, 2009)

"MAHMOUD ABBAS SHOULD CUT SHORT HIS SILLY LITTLE MELODRAMA, resign as he said he would, and pave the way for a needed revival of effective Palestinian national leadership."  Rami Khouri, "Palestinians Need Change-Not Charades," Agence Global (November 16, 2009)

Extremism

"THE ALIENATION AND RAGE MANY MUSLIMS FEEL toward the West is a product of historical grievances but has been greatly aggravated by their exclusion from the global economy.  Vali Nasr, "Economics Versus Extremism,"Newsweek (November 2, 2009)

"HAVING ACCEPTED THAT RADICALIZATION affects some small segments of the American Muslim population exactly like it affects some fringe pockets of the Muslim population of each European country, authorities have been looking for long-term solutions to the problem."  Lorenzo Vidino, "Toward a Radical Solution," Foreign Policy (January 5, 2010)

Cybersecurity

"NO NATION IS AS DEPENDENT ON CYBER SYSTEMS and networks for the operation of its infrastructure, economy and military as the United States. Yet, few national governments have less control over what goes on in its cyberspace than Washington."  Richard Clarke, "War from Cyberspace," National Interest (October 27, 2009)

"IN A TIME WHERE WE DISCUSS AND DEBATE BORDER PROTECTION from in-bound missiles or illegal immigrants, we fail to address the stark reality of the threat that transgresses our borders daily. This threat is present in the Internet. . . ."  Melissa Hathaway, "A Safe Harbor for Our Foes," Washington Times (November 25, 2009)

East Asia

"WHEN PRESIDENT OBAMA DIDN'T MEET WITH THE DALAI LAMA during his October trip to Washington, it gave many the impression that human-rights promotion was not central to this administration's foreign policy. This impression needs to be promptly corrected."  Paula Dobrianksy, "The Realist Case for Tibetan Autonomy," Wall Street Journal (January 7, 2010)

"THE BEST GUARANTEE OF SECURITY in a region where China remains a long-term challenge and a nuclear North Korea poses a clear threat remains the presence of American troops, which Japan helps to maintain with generous host nation support."  Joseph S. Nye, "An Alliance Larger Than One Issue," New York Times (January 7, 2010)

Piracy

"SHIPPING COMPANIES SHOULD EMPLOY THEIR SLOWER SHIPS elsewhere in the world, while guarding and hardening the others. These common sense measures, along with an international move to create jobs for Somalis, would help defeat the pirates.  Robert Rotberg, "Fighting off the Somali Pirates," Boston Globe (December 16, 2009)