I've always argued that this country has benefited immensely from the fact that we draw people from all over the world.
Alan GreenspanRead
I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the uncomfortable truth that economic interests, particularly oil, play a significant role in political decisions like the Iraq war.
Alan Greenspan's quote sheds light on the often-ignored motivations behind political actions, particularly military interventions. He suggests that the underlying reasons for the Iraq war, particularly the pursuit of oil resources, are widely recognized but remain politically sensitive to discuss openly. This underscores a broader commentary on the intersection of politics and economics, where decisions might prioritize national interests over moral or ethical considerations.
Themes
IraqWarOilPoliticsEconomics
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about military intervention, one could use this quote to emphasize the economic motivations behind war.
More from Alan Greenspan
All quotes βThere's no other job in public life that is like chairman of the Fed.
Alan GreenspanRead
Since 1948 I have spent every single day thinking how the economic and political worlds have changed.
Alan GreenspanRead
Most high-income people in our country do not realize that their incomes are being subsidized by their protection from competition from highly skilled people who are prevented from immigrating to the United States. But we need such skills in order to staff our productive economy, so that the standard of living for Americans as a whole can grow.
Alan GreenspanRead
I don't know where the stock market is going, but I will say this, that if it continues higher, this will do more to stimulate the economy than anything we've been talking about today or anything anybody else was talking about.
Alan GreenspanRead
Every economy exists, no matter what the level of democracy, has elements of crony capitalism. It's - given human nature and given the democratic structures, which we all, I assume, adhere to, that is an inevitable consequence.
Alan GreenspanRead
Similar quotes
There is an absence of democratic accountability and control in every sphere of government and the state. To address this debilitating legacy requires determined action and a deep commitment to transforming our society from a crisis ridden present into something all South Africans can be truly proud of.
Nelson MandelaRead
Economic libertarians and Christian evangelicals, united by their common enemy, are strange bedfellows in today's Republican party, just as the two Georges - the archconservative Wallace and the uberliberal McGovern - found themselves in the same Democratic Party in 1972.
Steven PinkerRead
We vainly fancy ourselves above the ugly informing and paranoia of the right-wing McCarthy era, but in the 21st century, the Left has fashioned a mirror image.
Lionel ShriverRead
The new social question is: democracy or the rule of the financial markets. We are currently witnessing the end of an era. The neoliberal ideology has failed worldwide. The U.S. movement Occupy Wall Street is a good example of this.
Sigmar GabrielRead
It is the height of stupidity to claim that men who for a thousand years have had the power to berate us, to fleece us and to oppress us with impunity, will now agree, with good grace, to be our equals.
Jean-Paul MaratRead
The USA is a threat to world peace. Who are they to pretend that they are the policemen of the world, the ones that should decide for the people of Iraq what should be done with their government and their leadership. All that [the USA] wants is Iraqi oil. [Blair is] simply the foreign minister of the United States. He is no longer prime minister of Britain.
Nelson MandelaRead