First time Quote by James Baker
““My view is that you don't just talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies, as well. And the diplomacy involves talking to your enemies. You don't reward your enemies necessarily, by talking to them if you're tough and you know what you're doing. You don't appease them. Talking to an enemy is not, in my view, appeasement. I made 15 trips to Syria in 1990-1991 at a time when Syria was on the list of countries who are state sponsors of terrorism. And the 16th trip, guess what? Lo and behold, Syria changed 25 years of policy and agreed for the first time in history to come sit at the table with Israel, which is what Israel wanted at the time. And, thereby, implicitly recognized Israel's right to exist. Now, all I'm saying is that would never have happened if we hadn't been sufficiently dedicated that we were going to keep at it.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Diplomatic Remarks, United Nations, 1992
Engaging with adversaries through dialogue, not appeasement, can lead to breakthroughs and recognition of rights, as shown by Syria-Israel negotiations.
In simple terms: Dialogue with enemies can achieve diplomatic breakthroughs.
Key Takeaway
Use dialogue, not appeasement, to resolve conflicts.
Themes
diplomacy
conflict resolution
dialogue
Mood
strategic
hopeful
Type
political
inspirational
When to use this quote
- peace talks
- international negotiations
- conflict mediation
- foreign policy
Key Concepts
realpolitik
trust-building
Questions to Reflect On
- When is dialogue insufficient?
- How to build trust with hostile parties?
A Different Perspective
Dialogue may be limited by power imbalances or unwillingness.
![“When Hillary Clinton ran against Senator [Barack] Obama she thought him naive because he thought it was a good idea to talk to our enemies. I think those are exactly the people you have to talk to and you have to negotiate with.” quote by Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/35b/bernie-sanders-233_barack_when-hillary-clinton-ran-against-senator_2558281.jpg)
