“When you have a regime that would be happier in the afterlife than in this life, this is not a regime that is subject to classic theories of deterrence.” Would BeSubjectsTheoryThis LifeClassicAfterlifeRegimesDeterrence Author:John Bolton
“The only thing that will stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons is regime change in Tehran.” WeaponsNuclearIranRegimesNuclear WeaponsTehranRegime Change Author:John Bolton
“The only way to resolve the North Korean problem is to change the regime.” WayProblemResolveRegimesNorth 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
“Iran has essentially mastered all of the complex science and technology that they need to have a completely indigenous nuclear weapons program. That means that our options on Iran are extremely limited, to regime change or as a last resort, the use of force.” NeedsMeanUseLastsForceTechnologyWeaponsProgramComplexesNuclearIranRegimesNuclear WeaponsResortsIndigenousScience And TechnologyUse Of ForceRegime Change Author:John Bolton
“The real issue of dealing with proliferation of weapons of mass destruction: nuclear, chemical or biological is: What is your tolerance for risk? And my tolerance for risk for WMD proliferation is pretty close to zero. Because otherwise, we and our allies are at the mercy of regimes like Ahmadinejad and the mullahs in Tehran, or Kim Jong Il and the Hitler-in-the-bunker mentality in Pyongyang, or others who don't share our calculus on the value of human life.” HumansRealValuesIssuesRiskShareWeaponsMassDestructionMercyNuclearToleranceHuman LifeZeroChemicalsAlliesRegimesMentalityWeapons Of Mass DestructionMass DestructionKimCalculusProliferationWmdTehranBunkersMullahsValue Of Human Life 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
“I wouldn't give up on Russia, and with oil at $90 a barrel, they can refurbish their strategic capabilities and under an authoritarian regime, those nuclear weapons are still there and in the wrong hands we might have a problem again.” GivingStillsProblemHandsMightGiving UpWeaponsOilNuclearRussiaCapabilityRegimesNuclear WeaponsStrategicBarrels Author:John Bolton
“It was right to overthrow Saddam Hussein. It was the regime itself that was a threat. I think in hindsight, what I would have done is turn authority back over to Iraqis much more quickly and say: "Your country, you figure out how to run it."” ThinkingCountryDoneRunningTurnsFiguresAuthorityThreatRegimesSaddamHusseinHindsight Author:John Bolton
