--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The main international problem facing…" description: "\"The main international problem facing America is our lack of - our loss of influence in the world and our lack of an ability to define what U.S. intere..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/673/bob-barr-13137_ability_the-main-international-problem-facing-am_1485838.jpg" --- # The main international problem facing America is our lack… ![“The main international problem facing America is our lack of - our loss of influence in the world and our lack of an ability to define what U.S. interests really are.” quote by Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/673/bob-barr-13137_ability_the-main-international-problem-facing-am_1485838.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/673/bob-barr-13137_ability_the-main-international-problem-facing-am_1485838.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/673/bob-barr-13137_ability_the-main-international-problem-facing-am_1485838.jpg) > “The main international problem facing America is our lack of - our loss of influence in the world and our lack of an ability to define what U.S. interests really are.” [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker identifies America’s primary global issue as diminished influence and unclear national interests, suggesting a need for clearer strategic vision. **In simple terms:** America lacks clear goals and global influence. Key Takeaway Clarify national interests to restore influence. Themes politics foreign policy identity Mood critical concerned Type political analytical When to use this quote - policy debates - international negotiations - education curricula - public discourse - leadership training Key Concepts strategic clarity global power national purpose Questions to Reflect On - What defines a nation’s true interests? - How can influence be measured? A Different Perspective Defining interests is politically contentious and may lack consensus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [There is no international problem that can be addressed or solved without the engagement and leadership of the United States and everybody in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/there-is-no-international-problem-that-can-be-addressed-or-solved/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [we ought to realize by now (see Korea, see Vietnam, see Afghanistan, see Iraq, see Iran) that deploying the US military, or dealing billions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/we-ought-to-realize-by-now-see-korea-see-vietnam-see-afghanistan-see/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [I am not crazy. I am not a man that hates this country in which I was born. I want to see you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/i-am-not-crazy-i-am-not-a-man-that-hates-this-country-in-which-i-was/) [Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/) > [Only the out of touch media elites think the biggest problems facing America - you know this, this is what they talk about, facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/only-the-out-of-touch-media-elites-think-the-biggest-problems-facing/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Few challenges facing America and the world are more urgent than combating climate change. The science is beyond dispute and the facts are clear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/few-challenges-facing-america-and-the-world-are-more-urgent-than/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We need a president who stands up, number one, and says, we will defeat ISIS. And number two, says the greatest national security threat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-need-a-president-who-stands-up-number-one-and-says-we-will-defeat/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [What's similar between Britain and America is the lack of good-quality civic buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zaha-hadid/what-s-similar-between-britain-and-america-is-the-lack-of-good/) [Zaha Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zaha-hadid/) > [“In America the lack of investment in train travel speaks eloquently of a country always ready to appear righteous but pathologically averse to surrendering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-parks/in-america-the-lack-of-investment-in-train-travel-speaks-eloquently/) [Tim Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-parks/) > [If poverty persists in America, it is not for lack of resources. We lack something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-poverty-persists-in-america-it-is-not-for-lack-of-resources-we/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [What I hear every day on talk radio is America's lack of education - and I don't mean lack of college degrees. I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/what-i-hear-every-day-on-talk-radio-is-america-s-lack-of-education/) [Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/) > [“If there's a sickness in America, it's the lack of materialism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-p-donleavy/if-there-s-a-sickness-in-america-it-s-the-lack-of-materialism/) [J.P. Donleavy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-p-donleavy/) > [“That sense of the world being the lack of something dogged him for years, and when it stopped dogging him, he felt unmoored. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-newman/that-sense-of-the-world-being-the-lack-of-something-dogged-him-for/) [Sandra Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-newman/) > [“Have you noticed that far too often the best people in the world lack power,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/have-you-noticed-that-far-too-often-the-best-people-in-the-world-lack/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [There will be as much deceit and criminality in the world as there is lack of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-steiner/there-will-be-as-much-deceit-and-criminality-in-the-world-as-there-is/) [Rudolf Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-steiner/) > [Love created this world, & the lack of it can kill it. Selfishness, self-absorption , arrogance & indifference never built anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hope-bryant/love-created-this-world-the-lack-of-it-can-kill-it-selfishness-self/) [John Hope Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hope-bryant/) ## More by Bob Barr > [The world is undoubtedly a safer, freer place because Thatcher - like Reagan - refused to back down when it came to defending freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/the-world-is-undoubtedly-a-safer-freer-place-because-thatcher-like/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [On taking office, Obama promised the 'most transparent' administration in history; yet his record as president has been anything but transparent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/on-taking-office-obama-promised-the-most-transparent-administration/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [A critical component of White House Scandal Defense 101 is rallying the partisan base. This keeps approval ratings in territory where the wheels don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/a-critical-component-of-white-house-scandal-defense-101-is-rallying/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [Going to war against Iran - whether one calls such a move 'surgical' or 'total' - would be an extremely serious undertaking; with worldwide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/going-to-war-against-iran-whether-one-calls-such-a-move-surgical-or/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [It's not a gun control problem; it's a cultural control problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/it-s-not-a-gun-control-problem-it-s-a-cultural-control-problem/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [The 2011 riots in England, which left five dead and caused more than $300 million in property damage, were fueled by a generation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/the-2011-riots-in-england-which-left-five-dead-and-caused-more-than/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [For decades, parents were told by so-called parenting 'experts' that offspring would be best raised on the belief each is special and entitled to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/for-decades-parents-were-told-by-so-called-parenting-experts-that/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [The seemingly omnipresent storm clouds hanging over the Constitution often make it hard to find a silver lining. Every day, the front page of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/the-seemingly-omnipresent-storm-clouds-hanging-over-the-constitution/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [Despite two decisions, in 2008 and 2010, by the U.S. Supreme Court unequivocally affirming that the Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees an individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/despite-two-decisions-in-2008-and-2010-by-the-u-s-supreme-court/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [It is not just software glitches and corrupted memory cards that should be on the minds of election officials. Hackers pose another very real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/it-is-not-just-software-glitches-and-corrupted-memory-cards-that/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [People come up to me and tell me they support me because I never left my principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/people-come-up-to-me-and-tell-me-they-support-me-because-i-never-left/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [It is difficult, if not impossible, to argue that laws written in the 1970s are adequate for today's intelligence challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/it-is-difficult-if-not-impossible-to-argue-that-laws-written-in-the/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [I sense that conservatives have largely already tuned out to the coming elections, after six years of burgeoning federal spending and inaction on key…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/i-sense-that-conservatives-have-largely-already-tuned-out-to-the/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [Nobody is denying we should investigate and do what we can to prevent gun crime in our cities and towns. But, we should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/nobody-is-denying-we-should-investigate-and-do-what-we-can-to-prevent/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [People and organizations other than doctors increasingly are assuming power to decide which medications to prescribe or procedures to undertake. More and more, decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/people-and-organizations-other-than-doctors-increasingly-are-assuming/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) [Explore all 51 Bob Barr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. 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Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The main international problem facing America is our lack of - our loss of influence in the world and our lack of an ability to define what U.S. interests really are.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bob Barr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/the-main-international-problem-facing-america-is-our-lack-of-our-loss/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ability" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/the-main-international-problem-facing-america-is-our-lack-of-our-loss/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/673/bob-barr-13137_ability_the-main-international-problem-facing-am_1485838.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/673/bob-barr-13137_ability_the-main-international-problem-facing-am_1485838.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/673/bob-barr-13137_ability_the-main-international-problem-facing-am_1485838.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The main international problem facing America is our lack of - our loss of influence in the world and our…” — Bob Barr", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bob Barr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The main international problem facing America...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/the-main-international-problem-facing-america-is-our-lack-of-our-loss/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/the-main-international-problem-facing-america-is-our-lack-of-our-loss/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```