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Richard Holbrooke

Richard Holbrooke Biography

Diplomat

Richard Holbrooke was a distinguished American diplomat known for his contributions to foreign policy and conflict resolution in the post-Cold War era. He held key positions at the State Department and the United Nations and played a crucial role in several regional conflicts.

Richard Holbrooke was a distinguished American diplomat known for his contributions to foreign policy and conflict resolution in the post-Cold War era. He held key positions at the State Department and the United Nations and played a crucial role in several regional conflicts.

Related Quotes

“The negotiations were simultaneously cerebral and physical, abstract and personal, something like a combination of chess and mountain climbing.”

Philosophy Negotiations

Book:To End a War

Source: To End a War

“I still believe in the possibility of the United States, with all its will and all its strength, and I don't just mean military, persevering against any challenge. I still believe in that.”

Believe Mean Stills States Challenges United United States Military Possibility I Still Believe

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“Our enemy is Al Qaeda and its allies, people who have publicly said they wish to attack the United States again, people who have publicly called on nuclear physicists and engineers to help them gain access to nuclear weapons, which, as the whole world knows, Pakistan has.”

People Knows World Said States Whole Helping Wish United Enemy United States Weapons Gains Access Nuclear Whole World Als Allies Nuclear Weapons Engineers Pakistan Physicist Al Qaeda

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“United Nations peacekeepers are going all over the world spreading AIDS even while they're trying to bring peace. What a supreme irony.”

World Trying Nations United Aids Supreme Irony United Nations Peacekeepers

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“The World War II generation believed the United States could do anything - anything... And Vietnam was a shattering experience for everyone.”

World War States United United States Generations War Of The Worlds Vietnam World War Ii World War I Shattering

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“The controlled chaos is one way to get creativity. The intensity of it, the physical rush, the intimacy created the kind of dialogue that leads to synergy...”

Way Kind Creativity Chaos Dialogue One Way Intimacy Controlled Intensity Synergy Controlled Chaos

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“It is essential that the foreign forces who have invaded and occupy large parts of the Congo halt their offensive action”

Action Force Essentials Offensive Parting Congo Halt

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“"I tell you," he [Milosevic] continued, "Izetbegovic has earned Sarajevo by not abandoning it. He's one tough guy. It's his". These words were probably the most astonishing and unexpected of the conference.”

Guy Tough Unexpected Conferences Astonishing Tough Guy

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“World War I was not inevitable, as many historians say. It could have been avoided, and it was a diplomatically botched negotiation.”

World Has Beens War Inevitable War Of The Worlds Historian World War I Negotiation Could Have Been Avoided

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“As countries grapple with modernization, people who are left behind tend to hold firmer and firmer to their view of the evil of modernity.”

People Country Evil Left Views Behinds Left Behind Modernity Modernization

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“If a country denies it has AIDS, that country will inevitably become an even greater victim.”

Ifs Country Greater Victim Deny Aids

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“Nothing generates more heat in the government than the question of who is chosen to participate in important meetings.”

Important Government Meetings Chosen Heat

Book:To End a War: The Conflict in Yugoslavia--America's Inside Story--Negotiating with Milosevic

Source: To End a War: The Conflict in Yugoslavia--America's Inside Story--Negotiating with Milosevic

“Diplomacy is like jazz: endless variations on a theme.”

Jazz Endless Theme Diplomacy Variation

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“A peace deal requires agreements, and you don't make agreements with your friends, you make agreements with your enemies.”

Deals Enemy Agreement

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“The United Nations is an indispensable but deeply flawed organization. It is valuable to the United States, and the United States is invaluable to it. We need to reform it.”

Needs States Nations United United States Organization Valuable Reform Indispensable United Nations Flawed Invaluable

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“It's an improvisation on a theme. You know where you want to go, but you don't know how to get there. It's not linear.”

Knows Want Know How Theme Improvisation Linear

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“MEMRI allows an audience far beyond the Arabic-speaking world to observe the wide variety of Arab voices speaking through the media, schoolbooks, and pulpits to their own people. What one hears is often astonishing, sometimes frightening, and always important. Most importantly, it includes the newly-emerging liberal voices of reform and hope, as well as disturbing echoes of ancient hatreds. Without the valuable research of MEMRI, the non-Arabic speaking world would not have this indispensable window.”

“A world without the United Nations or with a paralyzed United Nations would be far more costly to all of us and far more dangerous to peace and stability.”

World Would Be Nations United Dangerous Stability United Nations Paralyzed Peacekeeping

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“Bureaucracies have a natural tendency not to cooperate, coordinate or consolidate with each other. They won't cooperate with each other - unless they are forced to do so by political level authority.”

Government Political Natural Levels Authority Tendencies Bureaucracy Coordinates

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“I think history is continuous. It doesn't begin or end on Pearl Harbor Day or the day Lyndon Johnson withdraws from the presidency or on 9/11. You have to learn from the past but not be imprisoned by it. You need to take counsel of history but never be imprisoned by it.”

Thinking Needs Ends Past Presidency Pearls Johnson Harbors Learn From The Past Pearl Harbor Day

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“Know something about something. Don’t just present your wonderful self to the world. Constantly amass knowledge and offer it around.”

Knows World Self Wonderful Offers

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“In diplomacy, as in life itself, one often learns more from failures than from successes. Triumphs will seem, in retrospect, to be foreordained, a series of brilliant actions and decisions that may in fact have been lucky or inadvertent, whereas failures illuminate paths and pitfalls to be avoided.”

May Has Beens Facts Seems Action Decision Path Lucky Series Brilliant Triumph Diplomacy Avoided Retrospect Pitfalls

Author:Richard Holbrooke

“There is a split between Muslims who want to practice their faith in peace and tolerance with other religions and other people, and these extreme, radical fundamentalists who have shown a total lack of tolerance for people with different views, starting with people who they don't think are good Muslims, and going on to include Christians and Jews.”

People Thinking Want Different Christian Views Practice Starting Jew Extremes Tolerance Radical Splits Different Views Peace And Tolerance

Author:Richard Holbrooke

About the Author

Born: April 24, 1941
Died: December 13, 2010
Known for: Diplomat
Quotes: 23

Related Topics

World United People States United States Knows Nations United Nations Action Aids

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

To End a WarRelated source material

To End a War: The Conflict in Yugoslavia--America's Inside Story--Negotiating with MilosevicRelated source material

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