“If I were doing the Security Council today, I'd have one permanent member, the United States, because that's the real reflection of the distribution of power in the world. All international laws are invalid, meaningless attempts to constrict American power.” IfsWorldRealStatesTodayLawUnitedUnited StatesSecurityMembersReflectionInternationalPermanentMeaninglessDistributionCouncilInternational LawSecurity CouncilAmerican PowerDistribution Of Power Author:John Bolton
“Let me ask, who died and made him king? Who gave him the authority to endanger 300 million Americans? That's not the way it works, and if he thinks he can get away with that, he's got another think coming.” IfsThinkingWayMadeAsksMillionsKingsAuthorityLet MeDiedGet AwayNsa Author:John Bolton
“If a prosecutor in The Hague decides that the U.S. has not followed through effectively on an investigation - is unwilling or unable to carry it through - then that person, that prosecutor, in an unreviewable fashion gets to second-guess the United States? That is unacceptable. That is an assertion of authority over and above the U.S. Constitution.” IfsPersonsStatesUnitedUnited StatesFashionAuthorityConstitutionInvestigationUnwillingAssertionProsecutor Author:John Bolton
“I think the Russians basically don't think the North Koreans and the Iranians have the capabilities to get weapon systems that can threaten them, or that if they do the Russians know how to handle them and that that's the reason that it's all the more important that Russians be involved in the sale of high-end conventional weapons, the Bushehr nuclear reactor in the case of Russia and Iran, and similar kinds of relationships.” IfsThinkingKnowsKindImportantEndsReasonCasesKnow HowInvolvedWeaponsNuclearRussiaHandleIranCapabilityConventionalNorth KoreaKoreanNorth KoreanNuclear Reactors Author:John Bolton
“The North Koreans will sell anything to anybody for hard currency. If Al Queda came up with enough dollars to buy a nuclear weapon from North Korea I don't have any doubt that the North Koreans would sell it to them.” IfsHardEnoughDoubtWeaponsSellsDollarsNuclearAlsNuclear WeaponsCurrencyKoreaNorth KoreaKoreanNorth Korean Author:John Bolton
“I think the regime in North Korea is more fragile than people think. The country's economic system remains desperate, and one thing that could happen for example would be under a new government in South Korea, to get the South Korean government to live up to its own constitution, which says any Korean who makes it to South Korea, is a Korean citizen. A citizen of the Republic of Korea. And you could imagine the impact that would have inside North Korea if people thought, "If I could get out and make it to South Korea, I could have a different life."” PeopleIfsThinkingDifferentCountryGovernmentHappensWould BeImagineOne ThingEconomicExampleCitizensConstitutionRemainsImpactSouthDesperateIf I CouldRepublicFragileRegimesKoreaNorth KoreaKoreanEconomic SystemsDifferent LifeNew GovernmentSouth Korea Author:John Bolton
“Just as that little opening in the Iron Curtain that Hungary created caused a flood of people out, and ultimately the beginning of the end of communism in Europe, if you could get refugee flows coming out of North Korea, while there'd be a very difficult humanitarian problem in the short run, both for China and South Korea, in the long run it would lead to reunification.” PeopleIfsLittlesLongEndsProblemRunningDifficultEuropeFlowSouthChinaHumanitarianOpeningCommunismIronComing OutLong RunsFloodRefugeeCurtainsKoreaNorth KoreaHungarySouth KoreaIron CurtainReunification Author:John Bolton
“The Iranian government is the government that supplied the arms on the Karin-A to the Palestinian Authority several years ago, they are the world's largest central banker for terrorism, if they thought it was in their interest to give a terrorist group a nuclear weapon to use against America or against Israel, I don't think they'd hesitate.” IfsThinkingWorldGivingYearsUseGovernmentAmericaInterestGroupsArmsAuthorityWeaponsYears AgoIsraelTerrorismNuclearTerroristNuclear WeaponsPalestinianBankersIranianTerrorist Groups Author:John Bolton
“You have to negotiate from positions of strength. And right now with Iran, we're not negotiating from a position of strength. The Europeans are negotiating from the position of "Please give up your nuclear weapons program, and by the way if you do we'll give you several boatloads of carrots." The Iranians are quite willing to keep on negotiating on that line for a long time.” IfsWayGivingLongLinesPositionWillingPleaseRight NowGiving UpWeaponsLong TimeProgramNuclearIranNuclear WeaponsCarrotsNegotiating Author:John Bolton
“The Republican Party is the party of national security. There's hardly a national security wing of the Democratic Party anymore. So if we turn away from it, that'll be a big problem.” IfsProblemBigsTurnsPartySecurityRepublicanWingsDemocraticRepublican PartyNational SecurityDemocratic PartyBig Problems Author:John Bolton
“If you get a President (Hillary) Clinton, you might well find, just as after Vietnam, that there is a retraction from Iraq and of American influence in the world. And in a couple of years the Europeans will be complaining about that too.” IfsWorldYearsWellsMightPresidentInfluenceCoupleClintonIraqComplainingVietnam Author:John Bolton
“There's no such thing as the United Nations. If the U.N. secretary building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit of difference.” IfsStoriesLostNationsBitsDifferencesUnitedNew YorkBuildingSecretaryUnited Nations Author:John Bolton
“Diplomacy is not an end in itself if it does not advance U.S. interests.” IfsDoeEndsInterestDiplomacy Author:John Bolton
“If Iran obtains nuclear weapons, then almost certainly Saudi Arabia will do the same, as will Egypt, Turkey and perhaps others in the region.” IfsWeaponsNuclearRegionsIranNuclear WeaponsEgyptTurkeysArabiaSaudi ArabiaSaudis Author:John Bolton
“Just like Sept. 11, only with nuclear weapons this time, that's the threat. I think that is the threat. I think it's just facing reality. It's not a happy reality, but it's reality and if you don't deal with it, it will become even more unpleasant.” IfsThinkingRealityDealsWeaponsThreatNuclearNuclear WeaponsSept 11Facing Reality Author:John Bolton
