“But, clearly, the prime minister has laid down some ground rules which any functioning democratic state would insist upon, having to do with, you know, arms belonging to the state, not to -- not in private hands. The current circumstances come out of what I think is a very important and indeed appropriate action that the Iraqi government has taken.” ThinkingKnowsImportantStatesHandsGovernmentActionDemocracyTakenArmsCircumstancesDemocraticCurrentsMinistersAppropriateBelongingPrimePrime MinisterGround Rules Author:Condoleezza Rice
“Few things are more damaging to our democracy than a military officer who doesn't have the moral courage to stand up for what's right or the moral fiber to step aside when circumstances dictate.” MoralStepsDemocracyMilitaryCircumstancesOfficersFiberMoral CourageMoral Fiber Author:Michael Mullen
“The beauty of a democracy is that you never can tell when a youngster is born what he is going to do with himself, and that no matter how humbly he is born, no matter where he is born, no matter what circumstances hamper him at the outset, he has got a chance to master the minds and lead the imaginations of the whole country.” MindCountryMatterWholeBornImaginationChanceDemocracyMastersCircumstancesNo Matter WhatYoungstersHamper Book:The papers of Woodrow Wilson Source: The papers of Woodrow Wilson
“The word "democracy" is a Western word obviously. It doesn't exist in Arabic. Democratiya is a loan word. We in the Western world make the great mistake of assuming that ours is the only form of good government; that democracy means what it means in the Anglo-American world and a few other places in the West, but not many others. Muslims have their own tradition on limited government. Now in Islam, there is a very strong political tradition. Because the different circumstances, Islam is political from the very beginning.” WorldMeanDifferentPoliticalStrongMistakeDemocracyCircumstancesTraditionAssumingIslamWesternVery StrongLoanLimited Government Author:Bernard Lewis
“Israel was born under the British mandate. We learned from the British what democracy means, and how it behaves in a time of danger, war and terror. We thank Britain for introducing freedom and respect of human rights both in normal and demanding circumstances.” HumansMeanWarBornDemocracyRightsDangerCircumstancesNormalHuman RightsTerrorIsraelBritishBehaveBritainIntroducingMandates Author:Shimon Peres
“Whether the mask is labeled fascism, democracy, or dictatorship of the proletariat, our great adversary remains the apparatus—the bureaucracy, the police, the military. Not the one facing us across the frontier of the battle lines, which is not so much our enemy as our brothers' enemy, but the one that calls itself our protector and makes us its slaves. No matter what the circumstances, the worst betrayal will always be to subordinate ourselves to this apparatus and to trample underfoot, in its service, all human values in ourselves and in others.” HumansMatterValuesLinesEnemyDemocracyWorstMilitaryBrotherCircumstancesBattlePoliceNo Matter WhatRemainsSlaveBetrayalMaskFascismDictatorshipBureaucracyFrontiersAdversariesSubordinatesProletariatProtectorHuman Values Author:Simone Weil