It is frankly a mistake of amateurs to believe you can gain the upper hand in a diplomatic negotiation.

Access to natural resources can become a question of survival for many states.

Well, the capacity of French intellectuals to understand a Texan way of thinking is finite.

I am being frank about myself in this book. I tell of my first mistake on page 850.

The Gorbachev period is conceived as an abandonment of historic Russian positions. So this is the framework, in my view, in which Putin operates.

In Asia, the nation state still is extremely vital, and of course, then in Africa, a whole new pattern is emerging because the states in Africa reflected the preferences of the colonial powers when they were established.

I have said there are three principles that should be followed. One, we should maintain the "one China" policy that every American president has articulated, including President Reagan. Secondly, we should make clear that we want a peaceful resolution. And three, Taiwan should not challenge that arrangement in a way that will provoke a conflict. Those are three perfectly clear principles. I haven't used any of the other slogans.