Exercise of Power Quotes

“We must not be the world’s policeman, and we must be very cautious about deploying our military forces to resolve others’ internal problems. But we must also use every nonmilitary instrument of power we possess to promote freedom and encourage reform, with friends as well as rivals, because these objectives serve our national interest.”
― Robert M. Gates, Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World

“Americans, I think, understand the value of allies and how they are a unique asset for the United States, especially compared to both Russia and China, neither of which have any. At the same time, those allies are expected to pull their weight.”
― Robert M. Gates, Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World

“People around the world must know that America stands on the side of liberty and human dignity, despite whatever compromises we make to protect our interests. If we abandon that role, we will lose that which makes us historically unique. We will lose some piece of our national soul.”
― Robert M. Gates, Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World

“It ought not be the role of the American military to try to shape the future of other countries. The power of our military’s global reach has been an indispensable contributor to peace and stability in many regions and must remain so. But not every outrage, every act of aggression, every oppression, or every crisis can or should elicit an American military response. We must be realists about the limits of our military to bring about enduring reform and determine the political future of others.”
― Robert M. Gates, Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World

“Known as the Powell Doctrine, its varied iterations posed several questions that needed to be answered affirmatively before the United States took military action: Is a vital national security interest threatened? Do we have a clear, attainable objective? Have the risks and costs been fully and frankly analyzed? Have all other nonviolent policy means been fully exhausted? Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement? Have the consequences of our action been fully considered? Is the action supported by the American people? Do we have genuine broad international support?”
― Robert M. Gates, Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World

“Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger offered six such criteria, drawing upon our experiences in Vietnam and in 1983, the loss of 241 Marines in Beirut: (1) the U.S. should not commit forces to combat unless the vital national interest of the United States or its allies is involved; (2) U.S. troops should be committed wholeheartedly and with the clear intention of winning—otherwise, troops should not be committed; (3) U.S. combat troops should be committed only with clearly defined political and military objectives and with the capacity to accomplish those objectives; (4) the relationship between the objectives and the size and composition of the forces committed should be continually reassessed and adjusted if necessary; (5) U.S. troops should not be committed to battle without a “reasonable assurance” of the support of U.S. public opinion and Congress; and (6) the commitment of U.S. troops should be considered only as a last resort.”
― Robert M. Gates, Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World

“Franklin D. Roosevelt was explicit about the importance of presidents “persuading, leading, sacrificing, teaching always, because the greatest duty of a statesman is to educate.”
― Robert M. Gates, Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World

“One lesson from Syria is that American presidents should not call for another leader, however odious, to relinquish power without a plan for, or some prospect of, making that happen. It severely limits political and diplomatic options.”
― Robert M. Gates, Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World

“Russia had the opportunity to take a different path that would have been far better for its people and the world, but Vladimir Putin chose otherwise.”
― Robert M. Gates, Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World

“When there was an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa in 2014, PEPFAR-recipient countries, including Nigeria, Uganda, and Congo, were able to contain the crisis because their PEPFAR-funded labs quickly identified the disease and trained and provided health-care workers with the capacity to intervene. Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and other countries that had not been part of PEPFAR because of their low rates of HIV/AIDS infection lacked the labs and health systems necessary to detect the Ebola outbreak and thus initially were unable to contain it.”
― Robert M. Gates, Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World

“One of the enduring lessons of the Cold War and the demise of the Soviet Union is that lasting change in a country will come only from within, though it can be encouraged and hastened through the use over time of nonmilitary instruments of power.”
― Robert M. Gates, Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World

“It tempted Clinton, Bush, and even Obama to think we could change other countries, despite history and culture, and make them more like us. Contrary to Machiavelli’s warning, they misjudged our power and our resources.”
― Robert M. Gates, Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World

“Bearing in mind these lessons from success in Colombia, the next time an American president is urged to intervene in a Third World country’s internal conflict, stabilize the situation, or improve governance, he or she should ask these questions: Do we have a strong, competent, reasonably honest local leader committed to democracy and the rule of law with whom to partner? Are there existing indigenous institutions and capabilities on which to build? With our help, can the country’s military and police be strengthened sufficiently to carry the burden of the fight? Is the effort likely to be protracted, and if so, what is the prospect for long-term U.S. public and congressional support? Can we bring to bear a wide array of U.S. instruments of power in order to achieve our objectives without American forces being directly engaged in combat? Will we have the discipline to keep the number of U.S. military in-country small, forcing the locals to carry the burden of the fight?”
― Robert M. Gates, Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World

“The world knows nearly instantly of our military actions abroad, but we seem to think the selfless actions we take aren’t worth publicizing effectively. That is not how a country best builds or exercises power.”
― Robert M. Gates, Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World

“Often overlooked in the United States is that while we have many allies, Russia and China have none, only clients, giving the United States a unique advantage.”
― Robert M. Gates, Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World