In Desert Storm, we had too many troops; in Afghanistan probably not enough for the major commitment we have made.

Then came the hostage crisis during which Carter did nothing to rattle the ayatollahs who hung tough until Ronald Reagan was inaugurated, when they suddenly backed down.

You have to look at the history of the Middle East in particular. It has been one of failure and frustration, of feudalism and tribalism.

A durable, long-term U.S.-China strategic relationship is even more important now than in previous decades. The relationship will continue to grow and prosper to the mutual benefit of all peoples.

More often than not, Americans and Westerners overestimated the power and capability of the Soviet Union.

The warning message we sent the Russians was a calculated ambiguity that would be clearly understood.

As I look back at the span of the Cold War in those early days, in the '50s, for example, there was a great deal of Soviet propaganda here in the United States, but it was clumsy, and it was anchored to a lot of ideological support in certain circles in America itself.