For all their faults, right-wing authoritarian regimes more easily accept democratic reforms than left-wing totalitarian states.

Vietnam presumably taught us that the United States could not serve as the world's policeman; it should also have taught us the dangers of trying to be the world's midwife to democracy when the birth is scheduled to take place under conditions of guerrilla war.

Democrats can't get elected unless things get worse-and things won't get worse unless they get elected.

I always assume that democracy is the only good form of government, quite frankly, and democracy is always to be preferred

Truth, which is important to a scholar, has to be concrete. And there is nothing more concrete than dealing with babies, burps and bottles, frogs and mud.

We have war when at least one of the parties to a conflict wants something more than it wants peace.

I don't think the government (of El Salvador) was responsible. The nuns were not just nuns; the nuns were political activists. We ought to be a little more clear-cut about this than we usually are. They were political activists on behalf of the Frente and somebody who is using violence to oppose the Frente killed them.