--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...it is a different matter entirely to…" description: "\"“...it is a different matter entirely to commit military resources to keep peace in such areas, where often no peace can be kept, or to build nations i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/jeane-kirkpatrick-12763_diplomacy_it-is-a-different-matter-entirely-to-com_2791389.jpg" --- # ...it is a different matter entirely to commit military… ![“...it is a different matter entirely to commit military resources to keep peace in such areas, where often no peace can be kept, or to build nations in our own image before they are ready for our freedoms - or even want them. The military need not do the work of sanctions and diplomacy. As we…” quote by Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/jeane-kirkpatrick-12763_diplomacy_it-is-a-different-matter-entirely-to-com_2791389.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/jeane-kirkpatrick-12763_diplomacy_it-is-a-different-matter-entirely-to-com_2791389.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/jeane-kirkpatrick-12763_diplomacy_it-is-a-different-matter-entirely-to-com_2791389.jpg) > ““...it is a different matter entirely to commit military resources to keep peace in such areas, where often no peace can be kept, or to build nations in our own image before they are ready for our freedoms - or even want them. The military need not do the work of sanctions and diplomacy. As we carry on in this new century, we would do well to remember the importance of balancing the twin goals of our foreign policy: preserving national security and promoting democratic principles. And we must remember that historic conflicts between enemies can be won on moral force, without firing a single bullet or missile; that cultural, market, political, and perhaps religious forces can be far more transformative in areas of the world where chaos and violence reign; and that America can contribute to the building of nations by any and all of these means - while preserving our military and reserving our sovereign right to wage war to maintain true peace.”” [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing security and democratic promotion requires non‑military tools; moral influence can win conflicts without force. **In simple terms:** Use cultural, economic, and diplomatic means alongside defense. Key Takeaway Leverage soft power to achieve foreign policy goals. Themes foreign policy soft power democracy promotion Mood analytical strategic Type political inspirational When to use this quote - nation‑building - conflict resolution - humanitarian aid Key Concepts military restraint sanctions diplomacy ethical force Questions to Reflect On - When should military action be prioritized? - How can moral force be measured? A Different Perspective Overreliance on soft power may neglect immediate security threats. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Commit Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commit-military-3381108/) [Diplomacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diplomacy/) [Foreign policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-policy/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Military Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military-need-2395990/) [National security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-security/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Peacebuilding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peacebuilding/) [Preserving Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preserving-military-3381107/) [Sanctions Diplomacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanctions-diplomacy-1417367/) [Sovereignty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sovereignty/) [True peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-peace/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Certainly the international community is putting a lot of pressure on Iran and making clear that its nuclear program must stop. 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We need a commander in chief… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-jindal/america-s-military-is-the-best-in-the-world-but-this-president-barack/) [Bobby Jindal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-jindal/) > [If there is no military need for the building, leave it alone, neither putting anyone in or out of it, except on finding some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/if-there-is-no-military-need-for-the-building-leave-it-alone-neither/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I think we have got to have a strong economy. Got to have a strong military. We need to have good border security. 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It comes from the inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/true-peace-of-mind-is-not-dependent-on-circumstances-it-comes-from/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“True peace is not found in external circumstances, but within ones own heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-aitchison/true-peace-is-not-found-in-external-circumstances-but-within-ones-own/) [Graham Aitchison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-aitchison/) ## More by Jeane Kirkpatrick > [A doctrine of class war seemed to provide a solution to the problem of poverty to people who know nothing about how wealth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/a-doctrine-of-class-war-seemed-to-provide-a-solution-to-the-problem/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [It was not malaise we suffered from; it was Jimmy Carter - and Walter Mondale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/it-was-not-malaise-we-suffered-from-it-was-jimmy-carter-and-walter/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [When Marxist dictators shoot their way into power in Central America, the Democrats don't blame the guerrillas and their Soviet allies, they blame United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/when-marxist-dictators-shoot-their-way-into-power-in-central-america/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [That is simply that Marxism has been tremendously fashionable in our time, so it has infected a very large number of major institutions in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/that-is-simply-that-marxism-has-been-tremendously-fashionable-in-our/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [There is an absolutely fundamental hostility on the part of totalitarian regimes toward religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/there-is-an-absolutely-fundamental-hostility-on-the-part-of/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [Truth, which is important to a scholar, has got to be concrete. 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As we carry on in this new century, we would do well to remember the importance of balancing the twin goals of our foreign policy: preserving national security and promoting democratic principles. And we must remember that historic conflicts between enemies can be won on moral force, without firing a single bullet or missile; that cultural, market, political, and perhaps religious forces can be far more transformative in areas of the world where chaos and violence reign; and that America can contribute to the building of nations by any and all of these means - while preserving our military and reserving our sovereign right to wage war to maintain true peace.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeane Kirkpatrick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/it-is-a-different-matter-entirely-to-commit-military-resources-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Diplomacy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/it-is-a-different-matter-entirely-to-commit-military-resources-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/jeane-kirkpatrick-12763_diplomacy_it-is-a-different-matter-entirely-to-com_2791389.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/jeane-kirkpatrick-12763_diplomacy_it-is-a-different-matter-entirely-to-com_2791389.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/jeane-kirkpatrick-12763_diplomacy_it-is-a-different-matter-entirely-to-com_2791389.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...it is a different matter entirely to commit military resources to keep peace in such areas, where often…” — Jeane Kirkpatrick", "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": "Jeane Kirkpatrick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...it is a different matter entirely...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/it-is-a-different-matter-entirely-to-commit-military-resources-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/it-is-a-different-matter-entirely-to-commit-military-resources-to/#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 } } ] } ```