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" But if Russia is to be part of this larger zone of peace it cannot bring into it its imperial baggage. It cannot bring into it a policy of genocide against the Chechens, and cannot kill journalists, and it cannot repress the mass media. "

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" Pakistan's political instability is its greatest vulnerability, and a decline in U.S. power would reduce America's ability to aid Pakistan's consolidation and development. "

Zbigniew Brzezinski

Power

Development

Political

" America's decline would set in motion tectonic shifts undermining the political stability of the entire Middle East. "

" Only a dynamic and strategically-minded America, together with a unifying Europe, can jointly promote a larger and more vital West, one capable of acting as a responsible partner to the rising and increasingly assertive East. "

Zbigniew Brzezinski

Acting

America

" Basically, I see Iran as an authentic nation-state. And that authentic identity gives it cohesion, which most of the Middle East lacks. "

" The potential for regional conflict in the absence of an internationally active America is real. "

" The Cold War did end in the victory of one side and in the defeat of the other. This reality cannot be denied, despite the understandable sensitivities that such a conclusion provokes among the tenderhearted in the West and some of the former leaders of the defeated side. "

" We have actually experienced in recent months a dramatic demonstration of an unprecedented intelligence failure, perhaps the most significant intelligence failure in the history of the United States. "

" We don't have a public that really understands the world anymore, and in the age of complexity, that problem becomes much more difficult. "

" I would like to promote internal change in Iran - which is more likely if we don't fuse Iranian nationalism with Iranian fundamentalism. "

Zbigniew Brzezinski

Change

Nationalism

" Eurasia is the world's axial supercontinent. A power that dominated Eurasia would exercise decisive influence over two of the world's three most economically productive regions: Western Europe and East Asia. "

" You go to Paris, or you go to Portugal, you go to Poland, and you ask, 'Who are you people?' They'll tell you, we're Portuguese, we're Spanish, we're Polish. Who are the people that are really European? The people in Brussels, in the E.U. bureaucracy. Europe has not been able to move to the level of patriotic identification with the concept. "

" It is important to ask ourselves, as citizens, whether a world power can provide global leadership on the basis of fear and anxiety. "

" During the twentieth century, men fought on behalf of nationalism. Yet the wars they fought were also engendered by dislocations in world markets and by social revolution stimulated by the coming of the industrial age. "

" The problem with the Iranian regime, of course is, one, its unsettling effects on the Sunnis, particularly Saudi Arabia, and, secondly, its potential threat to Israel. "

" Sometimes in international politics, the better part of wisdom is to defer dangers rather than try to eliminate them altogether instantly. "

" Terrorism cannot be isolated from its political, historical, and even social context. "

" The financial catastrophe of 2008 nearly precipitated a calamitous economic depression, jolting America and much of the West into a sudden recognition of their systemic vulnerability to unregulated greed. "

" You know who's messianic? Netanyahu, because he talks that way. And that's a very risky position. "

Zbigniew Brzezinski

Position

Because

" The mullahs are part of the past in Iran, not its future. But change in Iran will come through engagement, not through confrontation. "

" A waning United States would likely be more nationalistic, more defensive about its national identity, more paranoid about its homeland security, and less willing to sacrifice resources for the sake of others' development. "

" Look at Islam in a rational manner and without demagoguery or emotion. It is the leading religion of the world with 1.5 billion followers. "

" Economically, we are, to some significant degree, interdependent with Chinese well-being. That is a great asset. "

" A president who aspires to be recognized as a global leader should not personally stake out a foreign-policy goal, commit himself eloquently to its attainment, and then yield the ground when confronted by firm opposition. "

" In Iraq we must succeed. Failure is not an option. "

" I realise that in an electoral campaign, you don't want to antagonise large groups which are highly motivated. "

" We cannot have that relationship if we only dictate or threaten and condemn those who disagree. "

" Commitment and credibility go hand in hand. "

" We defended our allies in Europe for 40 years during the worst days of the Cold War - very threatening days of the Cold War - and nothing happened. So deterrence does work. "

" Human affairs require some combination of moral commitment with disciplined political action. And that is what keeps me intrigued and challenged and wanting to influence events. "

Zbigniew Brzezinski

Political

Influence

" The fact of the matter is the Arab elites are more inclined to accommodate our wishes because of certain overlapping interests that are often financial. That is not the case with the Arab masses. "

Zbigniew Brzezinski

Fact

Wishes