“I want to make sure that, not only in the Republican Party but in the body politic as a whole, people are aware of threats that remain to the United States.” PeopleWantStatesWholeBodyUnitedPartyUnited StatesRepublicanThreatRepublican Party Author:John Bolton
“People don't like to talk about victory and defeat anymore.” PeopleVictoryDefeatVictory And Defeat Author:John Bolton
“The International Criminal Court uses a prosecution-only approach. And by putting their fate in the hands of outsiders, countries are really dodging responsibility for actions taken in the name of that country, in the name of the people in that country, by the people of that country themselves. That is, I think, fundamentally the wrong direction to go in.” PeopleThinkingCountryUseHandsActionNamesResponsibilityTakenFateApproachCourtInternationalCriminalsOutsidersProsecutionWrong Direction Author:John Bolton
“The way the Statute of Rome is written, responsibility for war crimes can be taken all the way up the chain of command. This is the sort of investigation that some people who live in Fairyland might like to undertake, but which bears no relationship at all to conditions in the real world.” PeopleWorldWayWarRealMightResponsibilityTakenWrittenConditionsCrimeBearsCommandChainsReal WorldRomeInvestigationStatutesWar CrimesChain Of Command Author:John Bolton
“The culture of the State Department is very negative towards a conservative foreign policy. And the model that we all have, of civil servants as neutral careerists who carry out the policy of the elected president, doesn't work nearly the way it should in the State Department. So that there are many people who want to be good civil servants, who want to try and carry out these policies, but are afraid to do so. And I'm not even counting the very small number of conservatives in the State Department who are genuinely at risk.” PeopleWayWantShouldTryingStatesCulturePresidentNumbersRiskPolicyModelsNegativeConservativeBe GoodServantDepartmentForeign PolicyCountingSmall NumbersCivil Servants Author:John Bolton
“I'm not saying that you need a State Department that looks like the litigation department of a major law firm. But you need people who are not afraid to make the case for the United States, who are not afraid to stand their ground, not afraid to be isolated in international organizations when that's the correct approach for our diplomacy. This is a cultural change that has to be effected through incentive systems, promotion systems, career training systems. This is not something that you can do with the stroke of a magic wand, it's going to take years to make this change.” PeopleNeedsYearsLooksStatesLawCan DoUnitedCareersCasesUnited StatesMagicApproachMajorsTrainingOrganizationInternationalFirmDepartmentNot AfraidIsolatedStrokesDiplomacyIncentivesPromotionWandsMagic WandsCultural ChangeLaw Firms 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
“What we want for the Iranian people is control over their own government, which they don't have now. So you would do it through supplying resources and support from the outside to the indigenous people who are already quite unhappy. The mullahs have made hash of the economy since 1979, there's a huge amount of economic dissatisfaction. The young people, who are pretty well educated and sophisticated, know they could have a better life than this strict Islamic law.” PeopleKnowsWantWellsMadeGovernmentLawYoungSupportEconomyEconomicHugeAmountResourcesUnhappyEducatedIslamicSophisticatedStrictBetter LifeIndigenousDissatisfactionIranianIndigenous PeopleWell EducatedHashIslamic LawMullahs Author:John Bolton
“Iran is barely over 50% Persian, and Arabs, Baluchis, Azeris, Kurds and many other groups feel left out of the society. That regime has a lot more weaknesses than people see.” PeopleFeelsLeftGroupsWeaknessIranRegimesLeft OutPersianKurdsOver 50 Author:John Bolton
“The press tend to stick with that the people don't care about foreign policy in their daily lives and aren't concerned about it and so on and so forth. I don't think that's actually true.” PeopleThinkingCarePolicyConcernedPressesSticksDon't CareDaily LifeForeign Policy Author:John Bolton
“I think the International Criminal Court could be a threat to American security interests, because the prosecutor of the court has enormous discretion in going after war crimes. And the way the Statute of Rome is written, responsibility for war crimes can be taken all the way up the chain of command. This is the sort of investigation that some people who live in Fairyland might like to undertake, but which bears no relationship at all to conditions in the real world.” PeopleThinkingWorldWayWarRealMightInterestResponsibilityTakenWrittenConditionsSecurityCrimeBearsCourtThreatInternationalCriminalsEnormousCommandChainsReal WorldRomeInvestigationDiscretionProsecutorStatutesWar CrimesChain Of Command Author:John Bolton
“My philosophy is not a bean-counting, accounting 'look at this.' It is a philosophy that smaller government is better government, and government that is closer to the people is best of all.” PeopleLooksPhilosophyGovernmentCountingBeansAccountingSmaller Government Author:John Bolton
“A lot of people have said to me, 'That's a great idea, running for president. You'll get booked for more speeches. You can write a book.'” PeopleWritingSaidBookIdeasRunningPresidentSpeechGreat Idea Author:John Bolton
“Every country has an aspect to it that rubs up people the wrong way.” PeopleWayCountryAspectWrong Way Author:John Bolton
“It's not natural disasters that are to blame for the deprivation of the North Korean people, but the failed policies of Kim Jong Il.” PeopleNaturalPolicyBlameDisasterKoreanDeprivationKimNatural DisasterNorth Korean Author:John Bolton
“People say you favor assassination, what do you think war is? Except that it's assassination on a much larger scale, a much more horrific scale.” PeopleThinkingWarFavorsScalesAssassinationHorrific Author:John Bolton
“I'm obviously aware that people are quite focused on the economy rather than foreign policy issues, but that is something that should and can be altered as people see the nature of the threats around the world that we face.” PeopleWorldShouldFacesEconomyIssuesPolicyThreatFocusedAround The WorldForeign PolicyAltered Author:John Bolton
