Emergencies Quote by Joseph Stiglitz
“You saw on your TV what happened in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The Reserves or National Guard are usually the people we use for those national emergencies. They weren't here, they were over in Iraq, and so we were less protected.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview on disaster response, 2006
The quote highlights how deployment of military forces abroad can leave domestic emergencies under‑protected, exposing gaps in national preparedness.
In simple terms: Deploying troops overseas can weaken home‑front disaster response.
Key Takeaway
Balance foreign commitments with domestic readiness.
Themes
disaster response
military policy
public safety
resource allocation
Mood
concerned
urgent
critical
Type
policy
analysis
commentary
When to use this quote
- emergency planning
- policy reform
- community resilience
- budget prioritization
Key Concepts
national security
civil‑military relations
risk management
Questions to Reflect On
- How can civilian agencies fill gaps when troops are deployed abroad?
- What policies ensure adequate domestic emergency resources?
A Different Perspective
Relying on military forces alone may ignore civilian capabilities and local expertise.
![“World War II was really unusual, because America was in the Great Depression before. So the war did help the US economy to get securely out of this decline. This time, the war [in Iraq] is bad for the economy in both the short and long run. We could have spent trillions in research or education…” quote by Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/860/joseph-stiglitz-1351_america_world-war-ii-was-really-unusual-because_156000.jpg)
