While the United States has often taken the wrong path, it has rarely failed to demonstrate - at least in the long run - the courage to reverse its steps.
It's hard to overstate the lasting harm Mr. Tillerson's tenure will do to America's diplomacy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses concern about the negative impact of Rex Tillerson's time as Secretary of State on the United States' diplomatic relationships.
Antony Blinken highlights the detrimental effects of Rex Tillerson's tenure as Secretary of State, suggesting that his actions and policies may have lasting repercussions on America's ability to engage effectively in diplomacy. This underscores the critical role that leadership in foreign affairs plays in shaping international relations and the importance of continuity and trust in diplomatic efforts.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of foreign policy, a speaker may reference this quote to illustrate how leadership decisions can have long-term consequences.
More from Antony Blinken
All quotes βWhen it comes to climate change, I think that success at home is directly tied to our ability to lead effectively abroad.
Some friends of Israel believe that the Palestinians will never, in their hearts, accept a Jewish state in Palestine. Yet Germans and French, Chinese and Japanese, Mexicans and Americans have overcome their once insurmountable differences. Palestinians and Jews also have much to gain from peaceful coexistence.
By virtually every metric, the liberal international order has made the world healthier, wealthier, wiser, more secure and more tolerant than it has ever been.
I don't think anyone in the 1990s, the late '90s, anticipated that the Putin they knew then would become the Putin we know now.
My father's father fled a pogrom in Russia in the early 20th century and was welcomed to the United States. So was my stepmother, who escaped as a young girl from Communist Hungary in 1950.
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If the Queen can reject the advice of a minister on a little thing like a postage stamp, what would happen if she rejected the advice of the Prime Minister on a major matter? If the Crown personally can reject advice, then, of course, the whole democratic facade turns out to be false
I am the Democratic Party's candidate for president who happens also to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my church on public matters - and the church does not speak for me.
The strongest democracies flourish from frequent and lively debate, but they endure when people of every background and belief find a way to set aside smaller differences in service of a greater purpose.
There is a fundamental difference between the Polish experience of the state and the Russian experience. In the Polish experience, the state was always a foreign power. So, to hate the state was a patriotic act.
Tonight, with a new Iraqi government in place, and following consultations with allies abroad and Congress at home, I can announce that America will lead a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat.
Authorities that erect major obstacles to migration - or place severe restrictions on migrants' work opportunities - inflict needless economic self-harm, as they impose barriers to having their labor needs met in an orderly, legal fashion. Worse still, they unintentionally encourage illegal migration.