We believe that peace is at hand.

I do not believe that Putin intends to leave office in a Cold War atmosphere with the United States.

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

I think Vladimir Putin will give up power.

One thing I don't want around me is a military intellectual. I don't have to worry about you on that score.

High office teaches decision making, not substance. It consumes intellectual capital; it does not create it. Most high officials leave office with the perceptions and insights with which they entered; they learn how to make decisions but not what decisions to make.

The Chinese military budget today is officially listed as, I think, about $15 billion. But even if you double it, that's only a tenth of ours. So the possibility of China challenging the United States for the next ten years over the Pacific is next to zero. There could be a conflict between us and China over Taiwan, but I think that, too, will not occur with the proper policies on both sides.