“When I first went to jail in 1960 with seven classmates trying to use their public library against the backdrop of my father being a veteran of World War II, not being able to use - having to sit behind Nazi on American military bases, I lost my fear of jails and death.” WorldTryingFirstsWarUseAbleFatherLostBehindsMilitaryBasesSevenLibraryWar Of The WorldsJailWorld War IiWorld War INaziVeteran1960sPublic LibraryClassmatesBackdropAmerican MilitaryMilitary Bases Author:Jesse Jackson
“If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding war, why we need to cut the military budget by 50%, why we need to bring back our troops scattered overseas, the police force of the world, in over a hundred countries, something like eight hundred bases, but who's counting, why we need to basically bring those troops home and why we need to stop this policy of regime change, these wars on terror, which only create more terror. This needs to be debated.” IfsWorldNeedsWarCountryProblemHomeForceTalkingCuttingMilitaryPolicyHundredBasesPoliceTerrorEightCampaignsDebateEndlessBudgetsRegimesTroopsExpandingCountingWar On TerrorOur TroopsPolice ForceRegime ChangeMilitary Budget Author:Jill Stein
“I believe military force can be used to redress or change the balance of power in the world, but I think that that's always a losing operation if you're not trying to do it in a way which corresponds to the basic desires of the people on whom you are acting.” PeopleIfsThinkingWorldWayTryingBelieveUsedDesireForceI BelieveActingMilitaryBalanceLosingOperationsMilitary ForceRedressBalance Of Power Author:Pierre Trudeau
“When the Defense Department was established after World War II, a law said that any defense secretary with military experience must have been out of the military at least seven years. General [James] Mattis doesn't meet that.” WorldYearsHas BeensSaidWarLawMilitarySevenDefenseWar Of The WorldsDepartmentWorld War IiWorld War ISecretarySeven YearsGeneral James MattisMilitary Experience Author:Steve Inskeep
“I don't have support. Not me ; all Syria. Every agreement is between every class and every sector in Syria ; government, people, trade, military, culture, everything ; it's like the cooperation between your country and any other country in the world. It's the same cooperation. It's not about me ; it's not support for the crisis.” PeopleWorldCountryGovernmentCultureClassSupportMilitaryCrisisTradeAgreementCooperationOther CountriesSyria Author:Bashar al-Assad
“With respect to Russia, my principal approach to Russia has been constant since I first came into office. Russia is an important country. It is a military superpower. It has influence in the region and it has influence around the world.” WorldFirstsHas BeensImportantCountryInfluenceMilitaryOfficeApproachConstantRussiaAround The WorldRegionsPrincipalSuperpower Author:Barack Obama
“Israel gets more than half of all the military purchasing assistance that America gives to all the nations in the world.” WorldGivingAmericaNationsHalfMilitaryIsraelAssistancePurchasing Author:John F. Kerry
“One of the great things about the United States is that when it comes to world affairs, the president obviously is the leader of the Executive Branch, the Commander-in-Chief, the spokesperson for the nation, but the influence and the work that we have is the result not just of the president, it is the result of countless interactions and arrangements and relationships between our military and other militaries, and our diplomats and other diplomats, the intelligence officers and development workers.” WorldStatesNationsPresidentUnitedResultsLeaderUnited StatesInfluenceMilitaryDevelopmentWorkersAffairGreat ThingsChiefsBranchesExecutivesOfficersInteractionArrangementsCommandersDiplomatsCommander In ChiefExecutive BranchWorld AffairsIntelligence Officers Author:Barack Obama
“We are committed to a world in which we keep America safe, but we recognize that our power doesn't just flow from our extraordinary military but also flows from the strength in our ideals and our principles and our values.” WorldAmericaValuesPrinciplesMilitarySafeIdealsFlowExtraordinaryCommitted Author:Barack Obama
“What would you do differently as defense secretary to compensate for this record in which the greatest military in the world, as we are constantly told, doesn't get the job done?” WorldDoneJobsRecordsMilitaryDefenseSecretaryGet The Job DoneGreatest Military Author:James Mattis
“I think, broadly speaking, the US military's role - US military activism in various parts of the Islamic world over the past several decades has been counterproductive.” ThinkingWorldHas BeensPastRolesMilitaryVariousDecadesActivismIslamicOver The PastCounterproductiveUs Military Author:James Mattis
“If you look at the Gulf War or new military technologies, they are moving towards cyberwars. Most video-technologies and technologies of simulation have been used for war. For example, video was created after the Second World War in order to radio-control planes and aircraft carriers. Thus video came with the war. It took twenty years before it became a means of expression for artists.” IfsWorldYearsLooksMeanHas BeensWarMovingUsedArtistOrderTechnologyMilitaryExampleExpressionTwentiesRadioVideoPlanesWar Of The WorldsWorld War ISecond World WarAircraftSimulationCarrierGulf WarAircraft Carriers Author:Paul Virilio
“What will prevail is this will to reduce the world to the point where one could possess it. All military technologies reduce the world to nothing. And since military technologies are advanced technologies, what they actually sketch today is the future of the civil realm.” WorldTodayTechnologyMilitaryRealmsAdvanced Technology Author:Paul Virilio
“Speaking as a New Yorker, I found it a shocking and terrifying event [9/11], particularly the scale of it. At bottom, it was an implacable desire to do harm to innocent people. It was aimed at symbols: the World Trade Center, the heart of American capitalism, and the Pentagon, the headquarters of the American military establishment.” PeopleWorldHeartDesireFoundMilitaryEventsCapitalismTradeBottomHarmScalesInnocentSymbolsEstablishmentShockingNew YorkersPentagonWorld TradeWorld Trade CenterHeadquartersAmerican MilitaryAmerican Capitalism Author:Edward Said
“I don't understand what the president's [Donald Trump] position is on Russia. But I can tell you what my position is on Russia: Russia is a great danger to a lot of its neighbors, and [Vladimir] Putin has as one of his core objectives fracturing NATO, which is one of the greatest military alliances in the history of the world.” WorldI CanPresidentMilitaryDangerPositionTrumpNeighborCoreRussiaObjectivesWorld HistoryPutinAlliancesNatoGreatest Military Author:Benjamin E. Sasse
“The CIA runs the drone program in Pakistan solely, not with the military. Then there's a joint CIA-military program in Yemen, then the CIA is involved in a lot of use of spy drones around the world and in the proliferation of bases.” WorldUseRunningMilitaryInvolvedProgramBasesAround The WorldPakistanSpyJointsCiaDronesProliferationYemen Author:Medea Benjamin
“The basic problems facing the world today are not susceptible to a military solution.” WorldWarProblemTodayPeaceMilitarySolutionsAnti WarAntiwarWorld TodaySusceptibleIdahoPresidents DayHorror Of War Author:John F. Kennedy
“America's military is second to none in the world. We're blessed with terrific soldiers, and extraordinary technology and intelligence. But the idea of a trillion dollars in cuts through sequestration and budget cuts to the military would change that.” WorldIdeasAmericaTechnologyCuttingMilitaryBlessedDollarsExtraordinarySoldierBudgetsTerrificBudget Cuts Author:Mitt Romney
“We've got to strengthen our military long-term. We don't know what the world is going to throw at us down the road.” KnowsWorldLongTermMilitaryLong TermDown The Road Author:Mitt Romney
“I look around the world, I don't see America's influence growing around the world. I see our influence receding, in part because of the failure of Barack Obama to deal with our economic challenges at home; in part because of our withdrawal from our commitment to our military in the way I think it ought to be; in part because of the turmoil with Israel.” ThinkingWorldWayLooksHomeAmericaChallengesDealsGrowingInfluenceEconomicMilitaryOughtCommitmentIsraelAround The WorldBarackTurmoilWithdrawal Author:Mitt Romney
“As Commander in Chief, I will maintain the strongest military in the world, keep faith with our troops and go after those who would do us harm. But after a decade of war, I think we all recognize we've got to do some nation building here at home, rebuilding our roads, our bridges and especially caring for our Veterans who sacrificed so much for our freedom.” ThinkingWorldWarHomeNationsMilitaryBuildingCaringHarmDecadesChiefsBridgesStrongestTroopsVeteranCommandersRebuildingKeep The FaithNation BuildingOur TroopsCommander In ChiefOur Veterans Author:Barack Obama
“There is a residual sense for me, having grown up in the early '70s, that I did not know I had, which was a sense that the military are different than I. Because there was such a divide between the military world - and there still is, because there's no draft - and the civilian world is one of the rotten harvests of the Vietnam War, was this sort of bifurcation of America in that way.” KnowsWorldWayStillsDifferentWarAmericaMilitaryDividesVietnamHarvestCiviliansRottenVietnam WarResidualBifurcation Author:Stephen Colbert
“Because national borders are eroding, because of the growth of non-state actors. It's a different kind of a world. We are tied down by a tiny little country - Iraq. It's amazing, given the disparity in military economic strength. It's a world where most of the big problems spill over national boundaries, and there are new kinds of actors and we're feeling our way as to how to deal with them.” WorldWayKindLittlesDifferentCountryStatesFeelingsProblemBigsActorsGivenGrowthDealsEconomicMilitaryIraqTinyBoundariesBordersDifferent KindsTiedSpillsBig ProblemsDisparityNational Borders Author:Brent Scowcroft
“Most of the world is fooling about, especially the people who think they control the world and the community. The presidents, the politicians, the military, etc., are all jerking about, acting as if they are Lord over their own domains. That's basically Problem One on the planet.” PeopleIfsThinkingWorldProblemPresidentCommunityActingLordMilitaryPlanetsPoliticianEtcDomainActing As If Author:George Harrison
“The reality of Canadian history is that we've been willing to do the important things the world demanded of us: fighting in World War II, in Korea, in the Balkans, where we were involved in offensive military operations, and in Afghanistan, where we have made disproportionate contributions.” WorldMadeImportantWarRealityFightingMilitaryWillingInvolvedImportant ThingsOperationsWar Of The WorldsContributionAfghanistanWorld War IiWorld War IOffensiveKoreaBalkansMilitary OperationsCanadian History Author:Chris Alexander
“On the other hand, you have to balance that against expanding our nuclear forces, add to our so-called depleted military, which is already more powerful than the rest of the world combined; attack in Syria, send forces to Syria, start bombing. Who knows what could be next?” KnowsWorldHandsNextForcePowerfulMilitaryBalanceAddNuclearSyriaExpandingBombing Author:Noam Chomsky
“There hasn't been a military force like the United States of America in the history of the world.” WorldStatesAmericaForceUnitedUnited StatesMilitaryUnited States Of AmericaWorld HistoryMilitary Force Author:Rush Limbaugh
“We provide an enormous amount of resources, particularly with regard to military resources, to countries all over the world. And in many cases, those countries are not compensating the American taxpayer for the commitment that we're making to their security.” WorldCountryCasesSecurityMilitaryAmountCommitmentResourcesRegardEnormousTaxpayers Author:Mike Pence
“It's no secret that the Democrat Party considers the American military to be the focus of evil in the modern world. So anything the American military does to eradicate evil, makes the evil that we're eradicating understandable and justified.” WorldDoeEvilPartySecretFocusModernMilitaryDemocratJustifiedModern WorldAmerican Military Author:Rush Limbaugh
“I think that [Obama] sees the military actually as something that is more dangerous to the world. I think that he looks at the United States military and sees it as a threatening application around the world than actually as a useful tool.” ThinkingWorldLooksStatesUnitedUnited StatesMilitaryDangerousToolsAround The WorldApplicationThreateningUnited States Military Author:Michael T. Flynn
“I'm very skeptical of the amount of money that goes into military expenditure, not just in the poor countries [but] also in the rich. I think it's one of the most massive wastes in the world, but education is [at the] other end. It's the bearer of the greatest fruits that mankind has ever known.” ThinkingWorldEndsCountryPoorKnownRichMankindMilitaryAmountWasteFruitMassiveSkepticalExpendituresPoor Countries Author:Amartya Sen
“80 percent of the export of armament in the world comes from the G8 countries. [The] United States alone exports about 50 percent of the world's armament, [for] which, of course, there has to be buyers, and the buyers are very terribly keen, very often military dictator[s] or sometimes not military dictator[s] but for military purposes. But the sellers are also promoting this trade. And two thirds of the arm exports go to developing countries. I'm in favor of putting a control on it, a ban on it.” WorldTwoCountrySometimesStatesPurposeCoursesUnitedUnited StatesMilitaryArmsPercentThirdsTradeFavorsDevelopingDictatorPromotingBansSellersBuyersArmamentDeveloping Countries Author:Amartya Sen
“We live in a state-centric world faced with global-scale problems that cannot be met by the actions of single states, no matter how powerful, if assessed from the perspective of military capabilities.” IfsWorldMatterStatesProblemActionPowerfulMilitaryPerspectiveMetsScalesCapability Author:Richard A. Falk
“I think in many ways, the Spanish Civil War was the first battle of World War II. After all, where else in the world at this point did you have Americans in uniform who were being bombed by Nazi planes four years before the U.S. entered World War II? Hitler and Mussolini jumped in on the side of Francisco Franco and his Spanish nationalists, sent them vast amounts of military aid, airplanes, tanks - and Mussolini sent 80,000 ground troops as well - because they wanted a sympathetic ally in power. So I think it really was the opening act of World War II.” ThinkingWorldWayYearsFirstsWellsWarWantedSidesFourMilitaryAmountBattleAidsOpeningPlanesWar Of The WorldsCivil WarAlliesWorld War IiFour YearsAirplaneWorld War ITroopsUniformsNaziTanksSympatheticFrancoSpanish Civil WarFrancisco Franco Author:Adam Hochschild
“The collective shortfall of the 3.08 billion people (47 percent of world population) who, in 2005, lived below $2.50 per day was $507 billion per annum, which indeed comes to about two-thirds of the present US military budget. This gives us a rough sense of how much the eradication of poverty would cost.” PeopleWorldGivingTwoPovertyMilitaryCostPercentThirdsPopulationBillionsBudgetsCollectivesRoughWorld PopulationUs MilitaryMilitary Budget Author:Thomas Pogge
“At present, the United States, with over 700 foreign military bases, navies in every ocean, a programme to militarise space, and drone bases planned for all regions of the world, is increasingly perceived in relation to its hard power diplomacy, a threat to political independence and stability for many countries.” WorldCountryHardStatesPoliticalSpaceUnitedUnited StatesMilitaryOceanBasesRelationIndependenceThreatRegionsStabilityDiplomacyNavyProgrammesDronesMilitary BasesPolitical Independence Author:Richard A. Falk
“Government at all levels in the USA right now is engaged in a quixotic campaign to sustain the unsustainable. We're determined to run WalMart, Disney World, the Interstate Highways, suburbia, and an imperial military by other means than oil. We'll squander a lot of dwindling resources in the process.” WorldMeanGovernmentRunningProcessLevelsMilitaryRight NowResourcesDeterminedOilCampaignsUsaEngagedHighwaysInterstateWalmartSuburbiaQuixotic Author:James Howard Kunstler
“I have a lot of friends who served in the regular army for a long time. Quite a few of my friends from that time went on to become full-time soldiers. But you live in a world that is entirely army. Your whole world is pretty much that military service, and it's very hard to do other things and to break out of that environment.” WorldLongHardWholeBreakEnvironmentMilitaryLong TimeMy FriendsArmySoldierWhole WorldBreak OutLots Of FriendsMilitary Service Author:Garth Nix
“China and Russia play very different roles. They both are getting involved across the world in all different pockets. Their tentacles are everywhere. Russia is doing it through elections and through military actions and through trying to get involved in conversations. China is doing it economically. If you look at their infrastructure, they are everywhere in the world now and they want to continue to do that so that they have a stronghold.” IfsWorldWantTryingLooksDifferentPlayActionRolesMilitaryInvolvedConversationElectionChinaRussiaPocketsInfrastructureGet InvolvedTentaclesStrongholdsMilitary Action Author:Nikki Haley
“Actually, the phrase "national security" is barely used until the 1930s. And there's a reason. By then, the United States was beginning to become global. Before that the United States had been mostly a regional power - Britain was the biggest global power. After the Second World War, national security is everywhere, because we basically owned the world, so our security is threatened everywhere. Not just on our borders, but everywhere - so you have to have a thousand military bases around the world for "defense."” WorldWarStatesReasonUsedUnitedUnited StatesSecurityMilitaryThousandBasesDefenseAround The WorldBordersPhrasesWar Of The WorldsBritainThreatenedNational SecuritySecond World War1930sMilitary Bases Author:Noam Chomsky
“Today, we have a powerful military that serves as a deterrent, but the enemy we have today is not like World War II, where you sign a piece of paper and the war is over. Today they're not in uniform. In my time we knew what the enemy looked like, we knew his weapons systems and such. Today, your cab driver may be the person, you have no idea. I don't know how we got into this fix, but we're there.” KnowsWorldMayPersonsIdeasWarTodayPowerfulEnemyKnow HowPiecesMilitaryPaperWeaponsNo IdeaWar Of The WorldsMy TimeDriversWorld War IiWorld War IUniformsCabDeterrentCab Drivers Author:Daniel Inouye
“As the wealthiest country with all the blessings that we have, do we have an obligation to help the outside world? I think we do, as we have an obligation to help everyone within our own borders. The problem is that this automatically gets translated into: "What's the point of having a huge military if we can't bomb people?" That's the problem that I have. Our foreign policy is essentially our defense policy.” PeopleThinkingWorldCountryHelpingProblemMilitaryPolicyBlessingObligationForeign Policy Author:Michael Hastings
“The fact that our largest presence in the world is our massive military is going to dictate how we engage with the world.” WorldMilitary Author:Michael Hastings
“Gore Vidal, Glenn Greenwald, Noam Chomsky, talk about how the U.S. became a national security state after World War II. Essentially there's this bipartisan foreign policy elite who've been calling the shots for the last few decades and they're clearly still in control regardless of how clownish or absurd they demonstrate themselves to be. There's no shaking their orthodoxy. To me it was the most depressing thing, these full-scale military interventions firsthand for a number of years, seeing how quickly we can get involved in another war with very little debate.” WorldWarSecurityMilitaryPolicyDebateAbsurdWar Of The WorldsWorld War IiForeign PolicyWorld War IDepressingNational SecurityGet InvolvedShakingMost Depressing Author:Michael Hastings
“I think Donald Trump is very alarmed and distressed over what Obama has done to the United States military and the perception of our standing and strength in the world.” ThinkingWorldDoneMilitaryPerception Author:Rush Limbaugh
“North Korea and China have proposed what sounds like a pretty sensible option that North Korea should end its development of nuclear weapons, the US should stop carrying out hostile military maneuvers on the North Korean border. The US immediately rejected it. Modernization program is a very clear example of how security doesn't matter. There is no gain in security but massive overkill of the adversary's deterrent capacity. The only consequence of it is to elicit the likelihood of a preemptive attack. And a preemptive attack leads to a nuclear winter world.” WorldSecurityMilitaryConsequenceProgramWinterSensibleNuclear WeaponsRejectedNorth KoreaKoreanNorth Korean Author:Noam Chomsky
“When President Bush sees America, he sees only a military superpower. I see a moral and idealistic beacon. Mr. Bush may talk about democracy all he wants, but it is not democracy to wilfully disdain and heap scorn on world opinion. We do not command moral leadership by starting pre-emptive wars.” WorldWarPresidentMoralOpinionDemocracyMilitaryScornPresident BushSuperpowerDisdain Author:John F. Kerry
“Declarations of war have never been a constitutional requirement for military action abroad. The United States has used force abroad more than 130 times, but has only declared war five times - the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Spanish-American War, and World Wars I and II.” WorldWarActionMilitaryWar Of The WorldsWorld War IDeclaration Author:John Yoo
“Computers get better, faster than anything else ever. A child's PlayStation today is more powerful than a military supercomputer from 1996. But our brains are wired for a linear world. As a result, exponential trends take us by surprise. I used to teach my students that there are some things, you know, computers just aren't good at like driving a car through traffic.” WorldTodayPowerfulBrainTeachMilitaryCarStudentsComputerSurpriseDrivingGet Better Author:Erik Brynjolfsson
“It's unfortunate we live in a society where "gay" is an insult. To some of these boys, who are from really red states and have families with military history, to be called gay is the worst thing imaginable, and that's used against them. It's really interesting that these are the people drawn into the tickling world. If the people drawn into competitive endurance tickling, even if they were straight, came from liberal, accepting backgrounds, the backlash of calling them gay wouldn't be a problem. But it's a problem because of where these people are from. That's really fascinating to me.” PeopleWorldProblemInterestingAcceptingBoysWorstMilitaryGayInsultEnduranceUnfortunateReally Interesting Author:David Farrier