“We need a strong and effective State Department. We can't conduct American affairs in the world without it.” Quote by John Bolton
“A strong State Department to me means a corps of career officials who believe that their job is to advocate America's interests and who are trained in effective advocacy, not schooled in accommodation.” BelieveMeanStatesJobsAmericaStrongInterestCareersOfficialsDepartmentAdvocacySchooledAccommodations 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 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 only way to resolve the North Korean problem is to change the regime.” WayProblemResolveRegimesNorth KoreaKoreanNorth Korean Author:John Bolton
“THe Chinese like the satellite state [North Korea] between China and our forces, they fear that in a reunified Korea, American troops would be at the Yalu River and they've seen that movie before. They didn't like it the first time they saw it and they don't like it any better today. So they are quite happy with the divided Korean peninsula and that's a fundamental difference between the way they see things and the way we see things.” WayFirstsStatesWould BeTodayForceDifferencesSawsFirst TimeRiversFundamentalsChinaChineseDividedTroopsKoreaNorth KoreaKoreanSatellitesAmerican TroopsPeninsulas 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
“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 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