Bokelskere.no

[President Woodrow] Wilson's appeal to America to go forth in the pursuit of democracy produceced acts of great creativity. It also led it to such disastrous crusades as Vietnam.

Historically, Germany has been either too weak or too strong for the peace of Europe

Not even the King has the right to subordinate the interests of the state to his personal sympathies or antipatthies.

[...] history refuses to be played back like a movie reel in which new endings are spliced in at will,

America was far-sighted in offering aid to post-Cold War Russia; but once Russia recovers economically, its pressure on neighboring countries is certain to mount. This may be a price worth paying, but it would be a mistake not to recognize that there is a price. (Skrevet 1995, flere år før Russlands intervensjoner i Georgia og Ukraina).

It is in the nature of prophets to redouble their efforts, not to abandon them, in the face of a recalcitrant reality.

Wilson's absence from Washington aside, it is almost always a mistake for heads of state to undertake the details of a negotiaton. They are then obliged to master specifics normally handled by their foreign offices and are deflected onto subjects more appropriate to their subordinates, while being kept from issues only heads of state can resolve. Since no one without a well-developed ego reaches the highest office, compromise is difficult and deadlocks are dangerous.

What political leaders decide, intelligence services tend to seek to justify. Popular litterature and films often depict the opposite--policymakers as the helpless tools of intelligence experts.