At least from a national security standpoint, none of the problems the U.S. and U.K. face will become easier to solve if the U.K. is out of the E.U.; on the contrary, I fear that a 'Brexit' would only make our world even more dangerous and difficult to manage.
Interpretation
Brexit will exacerbate national security challenges for the U.S. and U.K.
David Petraeus emphasizes that leaving the European Union would not alleviate the security issues faced by the U.S. and the U.K.; rather, it would likely complicate these problems further. His concern is that Brexit could lead to a more perilous and unmanageable global situation, indicating the interconnectedness of political decisions and national security.
In practice
In a discussion about international policy, one might reference Petraeus's quote to highlight the risks of isolationism.
There is nothing I can do to undo what I did. I can only say again how sorry I am to those I let down and then strive to go forward with a greater sense of humility and purpose, and with gratitude to those who stood with me during a very difficult chapter in my life.
I considered our British comrades to rank with the finest men and women of any armed service in the world. And I know that my fellow American soldiers - and those of the other coalition countries under my command - valued very highly the professional expertise, capability, courage, and determination of our British partners on the battlefield.
In the 101st Airborne Division headquarters in Mosul, we had a sign on the wall. It was a question that we would ask ourselves before every new operation or policy initiative. It asked: Will this policy or operation take more bad guys off the streets than it creates by its conduct?
The idea is to go to bed every night with fewer enemies than you had in the morning.
We periodically note that there are no silver bullets, there are no magic formulas, there's no single action or component of the overall... comprehensive civil-military approach.
When Western politicians propose blanket discrimination against Islam, they bolster the terrorists' propaganda.
I was no party man myself, and the first wish of my heart was, if parties did exist, to reconcile them.
The only difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is that the Democrats allow the poor to be corrupt, too.
Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote...that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.
Having excessive power in the hands of one country meant the fate of the world was too dependent on what happened in that one country.
The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.
All military regimes use security as the reason why they should remain in power. It's nothing original.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.