Democracy requires an informed citizenry able to question its government.
Richard N. HaassRead
There is no getting around the reality that the second Iraq war was a war of choice; had it been carried out differently, it still would have been an expensive choice and almost certainly a bad one.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the inherent difficulties and the moral implications of the decision to engage in the Iraq war, emphasizing that it was a deliberate choice with significant consequences.
Richard N. Haass points out the unavoidable reality that the second Iraq war was a war of choice rather than necessity. He argues that even if the war had been conducted in a different manner, it would still have come with substantial costs and negative outcomes, emphasizing the importance of scrutinizing decisions made in international conflict.
Themes
IraqWarChoiceConsequencesCosts
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the ethical implications of military interventions.
More from Richard N. Haass
All quotes →American influence in the world depends on the ability to act with real capacity and set an example that others will want to follow. This all takes resources.
Richard N. HaassRead
Nationalism is a tool increasingly used by leaders to bolster their authority, especially amid difficult economic and political conditions.
Richard N. HaassRead
What countries must do to join the World Trade Organization is precisely what they must do to become productive and democratic: accept the rule of law, reduce corruption, and become open, accountable, and transparent.
Richard N. HaassRead
Terrorism needs to be de-legitimized in the way that slavery has been. Doing so will make governments and individuals think twice before becoming a party to terrorism; it should also make it less difficult to garner support for international action against those who nevertheless carry it out.
Richard N. HaassRead
The political world is defined by relationships rather than transactions, and by numerous actors at home and abroad with independent power. Navigating such a world is difficult and precarious.
Richard N. HaassRead
Similar quotes
Bondage is of the mind; freedom too is of the mind. If you say 'I am a free soul. I am a son of God who can bind me' free you shall be.
RamakrishnaRead
Hate, like prayer, changes the person involved in the activity, not the person the activity is aimed at.
John TempletonRead
All things began in Order, so shall they end, and so shall they begin again, according to the Ordainer of Order, and the mystical mathematicks of the City of Heaven.
Thomas BrowneRead
There's a very committed effort to convert the US into something resembling a Third World society, where a few people have enormous wealth and a lot of others have no security.
Noam ChomskyRead
Does he think to scare me? Arya kissed him where his nose should be and plucked the grave worm from his eye to eat it, but it melted like a shadow in her hand. The yellow skull was melting too, and the kindliest old man that she had ever seen was smiling down on her. "No one has ever tried to eat my worm before," he said. "Are you hungry, child?" Yes, she thought, but not for food.
George R. R. MartinRead
In a democracy only will the freeman of nature design to dwell.
PlatoRead