It is always easy to divide the world into idealists and power-oriented people. The idealists are presumed to be the noble people, and the power-oriented people are the ones that cause all the world's trouble.

I believe in freedom of expression, and I believe that societies thrive when they permit freedom of expression.

If we do what is necessary, all the odds are in our favor.

Every civilization that has ever existed has ultimately collapsed.

Peace depends ultimately not on political arrangements but on the conscience of mankind.

Realism in foreign policy is made up of a clear set of values, since difficult foreign policy decisions are often decided with the narrowest of majorities. Without any sense of what is right and wrong, one would drown in a flood of difficult and pragmatic decisions.

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.