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.
Antony BlinkenRead
We deal, unfortunately, every single day with leaders of countries who are responsible for actions we find either objectionable or abhorrent, whether it's Vladimir Putin, whether it's Xi Jinping, whether it's any others on a long list of people I can name. But we find ways to deal with them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Leaders often make decisions that are controversial or morally wrong, yet we must find practical ways to engage with them.
In this quote, Antony Blinken reflects on the challenges of dealing with world leaders whose actions may be deemed objectionable or unacceptable. He emphasizes the pragmatic approach required in international relations, acknowledging that while it is difficult to engage with such leaders, it is necessary to find constructive ways to work together despite their controversial actions.
Themes
LeadershipInternational RelationsPragmatismDiplomacyEngagement
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about diplomacy, one might use this quote to illustrate the need for engagement despite disagreements.
More from Antony Blinken
All quotes →When it comes to climate change, I think that success at home is directly tied to our ability to lead effectively abroad.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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