--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because national borders are eroding…" description: "\"Because national borders are eroding, because of the growth of non-state actors. It's a different kind of a world. We are tied down by a tiny little co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/brent-scowcroft-11772_actors_because-national-borders-are-eroding-bec_2014196.png" --- # Because national borders are eroding, because of the… ![“Because national borders are eroding, because of the growth of non-state actors. It's a different kind of a world. We are tied down by a tiny little country - Iraq. It's amazing, given the disparity in military economic strength. It's a world where most of the big problems spill over national…” quote by Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/brent-scowcroft-11772_actors_because-national-borders-are-eroding-bec_2014196.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/brent-scowcroft-11772_actors_because-national-borders-are-eroding-bec_2014196.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/brent-scowcroft-11772_actors_because-national-borders-are-eroding-bec_2014196.png) > “Because national borders are eroding, because of the growth of non-state actors. It's a different kind of a world. We are tied down by a tiny little country - Iraq. It's amazing, given the disparity in military economic strength. It's a world where most of the big problems spill over national boundaries, and there are new kinds of actors and we're feeling our way as to how to deal with them.” [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The world is becoming more interconnected, with problems crossing borders and new non‑state actors emerging, challenging traditional nation‑state solutions. **In simple terms:** Borders blur, new actors appear, old solutions fail. Key Takeaway Adapt policies to transnational threats. Themes globalization security non‑state actors interdependence Mood concerned analytical Type policy strategic When to use this quote - climate negotiations - terrorism response - pandemic planning - cybersecurity strategy Key Concepts geopolitics power diffusion multilateralism Questions to Reflect On - How can nations cooperate without losing sovereignty? - What role should NGOs play in security? A Different Perspective Traditional state‑centric approaches may miss decentralized threats. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Disparity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disparity/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [National borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-borders/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The Internet knows no national borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/the-internet-knows-no-national-borders/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [But how can you speed up the transformation of society in a country as large as Russia? Those sounding the moral outcry are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-klaus/but-how-can-you-speed-up-the-transformation-of-society-in-a-country/) [Vaclav Klaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-klaus/) > [Yet, Puerto Ricos economic convergence and political integration with the rest of the nation is in a state of arrest - even though the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-thornburgh/yet-puerto-ricos-economic-convergence-and-political-integration-with/) [Dick Thornburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-thornburgh/) > [Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Whenever men or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/sometimes-we-must-interfere-when-human-lives-are-endangered-when/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“Both nations have an idea of Manifest Destiny and a concept of the Monroe Doctrine in their ideological arsenal, and both are continental powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-mendis/both-nations-have-an-idea-of-manifest-destiny-and-a-concept-of-the/) [Patrick Mendis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-mendis/) > [Maybe we are all prospective migrants. The lines of national borders on maps are artificial constructs, as unnatural to us as they are to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/maybe-we-are-all-prospective-migrants-the-lines-of-national-borders/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“Dear sirs, The cold war isn’t over. When national borders fail, the epidermis is the last line of defense. We are counting on you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benson-bruno/dear-sirs-the-cold-war-isn-t-over-when-national-borders-fail-the/) [Benson Bruno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benson-bruno/) > [Earth Day is the first holy day which transcends all national borders, yet preserves all geographical integrities, spans mountains and oceans and time belts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/earth-day-is-the-first-holy-day-which-transcends-all-national-borders/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [It takes 1,000 tons of water to produce 1 ton of grain. As water becomes scarce and countries are forced to divert irrigation water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/it-takes-1-000-tons-of-water-to-produce-1-ton-of-grain-as-water/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [When excesses such as lax lending standards become widespread and persist for some time, people are lulled into a false sense of security, creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/when-excesses-such-as-lax-lending-standards-become-widespread-and/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [Erasing national borders does not make people safer or more prosperous. It undermines democracy and trades away prosperity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/erasing-national-borders-does-not-make-people-safer-or-more/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [If we allow the United States to set the precedent that national borders don't matter when it comes to the protection of people's information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-we-allow-the-united-states-to-set-the-precedent-that-national/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [National borders have always been arbitrarily drawn by people, and in ancient times there was a lot of exchange of people and culture with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinichiro-watanabe/national-borders-have-always-been-arbitrarily-drawn-by-people-and-in/) [Shinichiro Watanabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinichiro-watanabe/) > [Online crime is practically always international, because they almost always cross traditional national borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikko-hypponen/online-crime-is-practically-always-international-because-they-almost/) [Mikko Hypponen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikko-hypponen/) > [Though people could, in principle, cross national borders to reach places where their work is more highly rewarded, they are in fact prevented from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pogge/though-people-could-in-principle-cross-national-borders-to-reach/) [Thomas Pogge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pogge/) ## More by Brent Scowcroft > [But, if you believe we should go around the world overturning regimes to make little United States, I don't agree with that, because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/but-if-you-believe-we-should-go-around-the-world-overturning-regimes/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Saddam's ouster will not necessarily lead to the same result, since Iraq lacks democratic traditions. Democracy doesn't just consist of holding elections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/saddam-s-ouster-will-not-necessarily-lead-to-the-same-result-since/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Since the days of Peter the Great, Russians have been maybe Europeans who didn't share in the enlightenment and the reformation, or are they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/since-the-days-of-peter-the-great-russians-have-been-maybe-europeans/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [I don't think the Chinese look out at the world and want to overturn the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/i-don-t-think-the-chinese-look-out-at-the-world-and-want-to-overturn/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [A colossal event is upon us, the birth of a New World Order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/a-colossal-event-is-upon-us-the-birth-of-a-new-world-order/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [It is beyond dispute that Saddam Hussein is a menace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/it-is-beyond-dispute-that-saddam-hussein-is-a-menace/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Everybody is within reach of a television set. And so they're all politicized, and they're all stimulated, and then they have these desires, pleasures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/everybody-is-within-reach-of-a-television-set-and-so-they-re-all/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Saddam is a familiar dictatorial aggressor, with traditional goals for his aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/saddam-is-a-familiar-dictatorial-aggressor-with-traditional-goals-for/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Simply killing everyone who is already a terrorist today won't solve the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/simply-killing-everyone-who-is-already-a-terrorist-today-won-t-solve/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [After the '30s, we said, "no more Munichs." And it got us in a lot of problems. Then we said, "No more Vietnams." Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/after-the-30s-we-said-no-more-munichs-and-it-got-us-in-a-lot-of/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [If Iraq were to descend into chaos, the Europeans would feel the effects just as much as we would.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/if-iraq-were-to-descend-into-chaos-the-europeans-would-feel-the/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [The art of diplomacy is to take an opportunity and turn it into something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/the-art-of-diplomacy-is-to-take-an-opportunity-and-turn-it-into/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Democracy doesn't just consist of holding elections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/democracy-doesn-t-just-consist-of-holding-elections/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Many Sunnis, who are still stuck in the Saddam era mindset and believe Iraq belongs to them, are trying to prevent a new country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/many-sunnis-who-are-still-stuck-in-the-saddam-era-mindset-and-believe/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Much of what we know about mathematics and trade comes from the Arabs. Then came stagnation, and now they're the West's whipping boy. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/much-of-what-we-know-about-mathematics-and-trade-comes-from-the-arabs/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) [Explore all 58 Brent Scowcroft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) ## More Actors quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. 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