Top Michael Mandelbaum Quotes - Quotesmemo.com

Michael Mandelbaum Biography

Michael Mandelbaum (born 1946) is the Christian A. Herter Professor and Director of the American Foreign Policy program at the Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies. He has written 10 books on American foreign policy and the edited 12 more. He most recently authored Mission Failure: America and the World in the Post-Cold War Era.

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Michael Mandelbaum Quotes

First of all, the world criticizes American foreign policy because Americans criticize American foreign policy. We shouldn't be surprised about that. Criticizing government is a God-given right - at least in democracies.

Criticizes, Democracy, Government, Policy, World

While analogies are useful, however, they can also be misleading. They smuggle in assumptions that can be wrong.

Analogies, Assumption, Mislead, Misleading, Smuggle

All policy is a matter of gains and losses, upsides and downsides.

Gains, Loss, Matter, Upsides

The United States doesn't do what it does in the world for altruistic reasons. Nobody set out to be the world's government.

Doe, Government, Reasons, United States, World

In the past when a country became as powerful as the United States, other countries would band together to clip its wings. But that isn't happening now and I don't think it's not going to happen, because other countries are not threatened by us, and they secretly appreciate the services that we provide, even if they don't usually say so.

Clip, Country, Past, Powerful, United

Great wars can only be fought by great powers.

Fought, Great Power, Great War, Powers, War, Wars

Economic growth is necessary to keep the promise - enormously important to individual Americans - that each generation will have the opportunity to become more prosperous than the preceding one, the popular term for which is 'the American dream.

Americans, Dream, Generation, Growth, Opportunity, Term

Inequality of any kind, once considered a normal, natural part of human existence, came to be seen in the course of the twentieth century as increasingly illegitimate.

Increasingly, Kind, Natural, Normal, Seen

The less oil the world uses, the less important the region that has so much of it becomes.

Becomes, Important, Oil, Use, World

American influence in the world is certainly considerable, but the United States does not control, directly or indirectly, the politics and economics of other societies, as empires have always done, save for a few special cases that turn out to be the exceptions that prove the rule.

Doe, Empires, Special, United States, World

After all, the past is our only real guide to the future, and historical analogies are instruments for distilling and organizing the past and converting it to a map by which we can navigate.

Distilling, Future, Historical, Organizing, Past, Real

If architecture is, as is sometimes said, music set in concrete, then football and basketball may be said to be creativity embodied in team sports.

Inspirational, Basketball, Sports, Architecture, Said, Set

The United States contributes to peace in both by serving as a buffer between and among regional powers that, while not preparing for armed conflict, do not fully trust one another.

Buffer, Conflict, Fully, Preparing, United States

The American empire will not disappear. . . because America does not have an empire.

America, American, Doe, Empire, Empires

The windfall of great riches can, if mismanaged, make things worse, not better, for the recipients.

Ifs, Make, Recipients, Riches, Things, Windfall

The war on terror, I believe, will be waged by effective intelligence and police work and cruise missiles.

Believe, Effective, Police Work, Waged, War, Work

Certainly, protecting oppressed people, stopping ethnic conflict and promoting responsible governance are worthy goals. But none is as important for American security and prosperity as keeping the peace in the Middle East, Europe and East Asia.

Asia, Europe, Goal, Governance, People, Promoting

Let me remind you all that the first task of American foreign policy is to reduce threats to the United States.

United States, Tasks, Firsts, Foreign, Reduce, Policy

The world needs a strong America.

America, Needs, Strong, World

The American political system is so porous, it's so open, it's so frustrating for those who are trying to make policy.

American, Frustrating, Policy, Political, System, Trying

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