Zbigniew Brzezinski Quotes

American - Politician March 28, 1928 - May 26, 2017

Anniversaries are like birthdays: occasions to celebrate and to think ahead, usually among friends with whom one shares not only the past but also the future. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Future, Past, Celebrate, Think, Friends

The culture of self-gratification and deregulation that began during the Clinton years and continued under President George W. Bush led to the bursting of one stock market bubble at the turn of the century and a full-scale financial crash less than a decade later. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Culture, Financial, Stock Market, Bubble

Commitment and credibility go hand in hand. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Commitment, Credibility, Go, Hand

Sovereignty is a word that is used often but it has really no specific meaning. Sovereignty today is nominal. Any number of countries that are sovereign are sovereign only nominally and relatively. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Today, Meaning, Only, Sovereignty, Used

Americans don't learn about the world; they don't study world history, other than American history in a very one-sided fashion, and they don't study geography. Zbigniew Brzezinski

History, World, American, Fashion, Learn

You go to Paris, or you go to Portugal, you go to Poland, and you ask, 'Who are you people?' They'll tell you, we're Portuguese, we're Spanish, we're Polish. Who are the people that are really European? The people in Brussels, in the E.U. bureaucracy. Europe has not been able to move to the level of patriotic identification with the concept. Zbigniew Brzezinski

People, Paris, You, Bureaucracy, Tell

There's no point considering something which is very unrealistic. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Something, Point, Unrealistic, No Point

One-sided national economic triumphs cannot be achieved in the increasingly interwoven global economy without precipitating calamitous consequences for everyone. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Consequences, Economy, Everyone, Without

We now have the opportunity of giving to the USSR its Vietnam war. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Opportunity, War, Giving, Now, Vietnam

The Soviet Union's termination, which brought to an end the bipolar world, ushered in an era of U.S. hegemony. Hegemony, however, should not be confused with omnipotence. Hegemony is not omnipotence but is certainly preponderance. Zbigniew Brzezinski

End, World, Confused, Bipolar, Union

The difference between the Bush I war against Iraq and the Bush II war against Iraq is that in the first one, we appealed to the sentiments and interests of the different groupings in the region and had them with us. In the second one, we did it on our own, on the basis of false premises, with extremely brutality and lack of political skill. Zbigniew Brzezinski

War, Political, Skill, Difference, Own

Look at Islam in a rational manner and without demagoguery or emotion. It is the leading religion of the world with 1.5 billion followers. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Religion, World, Look, Islam, Emotion

The financial catastrophe of 2008 nearly precipitated a calamitous economic depression, jolting America and much of the West into a sudden recognition of their systemic vulnerability to unregulated greed. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Depression, America, Financial, Greed

The Chinese are really good at diplomacy - and even at making their interlocutors feel very uncomfortable. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Good, Uncomfortable, Feel, Diplomacy

What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some stirred-up Moslems or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the Cold War? Zbigniew Brzezinski

History, War, End, World, Important

In Iraq we must succeed. Failure is not an option. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Failure, Succeed, Option, Must, Iraq

I cite these events because I think they underline two very disturbing phenomena - the loss of U.S. international credibility, the growing U.S. international isolation. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Think, Loss, Isolation, Growing, Events

A waning United States would likely be more nationalistic, more defensive about its national identity, more paranoid about its homeland security, and less willing to sacrifice resources for the sake of others' development. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Identity, Sacrifice, Security, Others

War on terrorism defines the central preoccupation of the United States in the world today, and it does reflect in my view a rather narrow and extremist vision of foreign policy of the world's first superpower, of a great democracy, with genuinely idealistic traditions. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Today, Great, War, Vision, Democracy

Not to mention the fact that of course terrorists hate freedom. I think they do hate. But believe me, I don't think they sit there abstractly hating freedom. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Freedom, Hate, Think, Me, Believe, Sit

But if Russia is to be part of this larger zone of peace it cannot bring into it its imperial baggage. It cannot bring into it a policy of genocide against the Chechens, and cannot kill journalists, and it cannot repress the mass media. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Peace, Media, Russia, Policy, Bring

Neither the United States nor Israel has the capacity to impose a unilateral solution in the Middle East. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Solution, Israel, Middle, United States

The Sino-American competition involves two significant realities that distinguish it from the Cold War: neither party is excessively ideological in its orientation; and both parties recognize that they really need mutual accommodation. Zbigniew Brzezinski

War, Competition, Party, Cold, Need, Two

The fact of the matter is the Arab elites are more inclined to accommodate our wishes because of certain overlapping interests that are often financial. That is not the case with the Arab masses. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Financial, Wishes, Matter, Fact, More

The first 'world' war was in reality the last European war fought by globally significant European powers. Zbigniew Brzezinski

War, World, Reality, First, Last

Pakistan's political instability is its greatest vulnerability, and a decline in U.S. power would reduce America's ability to aid Pakistan's consolidation and development. Zbigniew Brzezinski

Power, America, Political, Development

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