--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Major international interventions are…" description: "\"Major international interventions are doomed unless the US is directly or indirectly involved. But if American politicians, officials and servicemen ar..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/margaret-thatcher-463_aggression_major-international-interventions-are-do_63604.jpg" --- # Major international interventions are doomed unless the US… ![“Major international interventions are doomed unless the US is directly or indirectly involved. But if American politicians, officials and servicemen are to be put at risk of arrest and prosecution, the United States will be most reluctant to act in order to curb aggression or prevent genocide. So…” quote by Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/margaret-thatcher-463_aggression_major-international-interventions-are-do_63604.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/margaret-thatcher-463_aggression_major-international-interventions-are-do_63604.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/margaret-thatcher-463_aggression_major-international-interventions-are-do_63604.jpg) > “Major international interventions are doomed unless the US is directly or indirectly involved. But if American politicians, officials and servicemen are to be put at risk of arrest and prosecution, the United States will be most reluctant to act in order to curb aggression or prevent genocide. So the effect of the court may well be to diminish, not increase, the numbers of (in the words of the UN Secretary General) 'innocents of distant wars and conflicts'.” [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. US involvement is seen as essential for successful interventions, yet political risk aversion can limit action, potentially reducing civilian protection. **In simple terms:** US participation drives intervention success, but risk concerns may hinder it. Key Takeaway US involvement is a double‑edged sword. Themes Geopolitics Humanitarianism Legal risk Power dynamics Moral responsibility Mood Cautious Critical Type Political Analytical When to use this quote - UN peacekeeping missions - Humanitarian crises - Post‑conflict reconstruction Key Concepts International law Political calculus Strategic deterrence Practical Applications - Policy analysis - Risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - How can the US balance strategic interests with humanitarian imperatives? - What mechanisms can reduce political risk for intervening nations? A Different Perspective Some argue that multilateral coalitions can mitigate US exposure while still achieving intervention goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aggression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression/) [Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) [Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) [Court Diminish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court-diminish-857042/) [Curb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curb/) [Curb Aggression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curb-aggression-857043/) [Diminish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diminish/) [Doomed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doomed/) [Effects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effects/) [Genocide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genocide/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Increase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/increase/) [International](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/international/) [International Interventions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/international-interventions-857040/) [Intervention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intervention/) [Interventions Doomed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interventions-doomed-857041/) [Involved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involved/) [Majors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majors/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Officials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/officials/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Prevent Genocide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prevent-genocide-688164/) [Prosecution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosecution/) [Reluctant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reluctant/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Secretary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secretary/) [Servicemen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/servicemen/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [I've said consistently that I always reserve the right, in conjunction with a broader international effort, to prevent genocide or any wholesale slaughter than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-ve-said-consistently-that-i-always-reserve-the-right-in-conjunction/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Together we can prevent genocide from happening again. Together we can make a better future for our children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dith-pran/together-we-can-prevent-genocide-from-happening-again-together-we-can/) [Dith Pran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dith-pran/) > [Only you can prevent the genocide of the imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/only-you-can-prevent-the-genocide-of-the-imagination/) [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) > [Helping survivors of residential schools in Canada is not the same as the UN sending in peacekeepers to prevent the genocide in Rwanda. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/payam-akhavan/helping-survivors-of-residential-schools-in-canada-is-not-the-same-as/) [Payam Akhavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/payam-akhavan/) > [Our waterboarding program is based on the U.S. military training program... tens of thousands of U.S. servicemen were waterboarded pursuant to this program to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-a-rodriguez-jr/our-waterboarding-program-is-based-on-the-u-s-military-training/) [Jose A. Rodriguez, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-a-rodriguez-jr/) > [As I've said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it. And all of us are united in appreciation for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-i-ve-said-there-were-patriots-who-supported-this-war-and-patriots/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/our-debt-to-the-heroic-men-and-valiant-women-in-the-service-of-our/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [When Saddam Hussein was eliminated, the Iraqi statehood and thousands of people from the former Baath party were also eliminated. Thousands of Iraqi servicemen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/when-saddam-hussein-was-eliminated-the-iraqi-statehood-and-thousands/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [The American servicemen and women of the Guard and Reserve leave their jobs, their spouses and their children to wear the uniform that defends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/the-american-servicemen-and-women-of-the-guard-and-reserve-leave/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [They hover as a cloud of witnesses above this Nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/they-hover-as-a-cloud-of-witnesses-above-this-nation/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [We shall pay any price, bear any burden, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-shall-pay-any-price-bear-any-burden-to-assure-the-survival-and-the/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [My children and grandchildren loved the secret servicemen and women that served us. I was honoured that they thought I was important enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-card/my-children-and-grandchildren-loved-the-secret-servicemen-and-women/) [Andrew Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-card/) > [Hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By bringing hope to the oppressed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/hundreds-of-thousands-of-american-servicemen-and-women-are-deployed/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [The instruments of war can be manufactured ... human blood cannot be; and the lack of just one pint could mean the life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-marshall/the-instruments-of-war-can-be-manufactured-human-blood-cannot-be-and/) [George C. Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-marshall/) > [If the practice is torture for the al Qaeda operative who masterminded the killing of three thousand Americans, why weren't there court-martials in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-a-rodriguez-jr/if-the-practice-is-torture-for-the-al-qaeda-operative-who/) [Jose A. Rodriguez, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-a-rodriguez-jr/) ## More by Margaret Thatcher > [When you stop a dictator, there are always risks. But there are greater risks in not stopping a dictator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/when-you-stop-a-dictator-there-are-always-risks-but-there-are-greater/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Ideally, when Christians meet, as Christians do, to take counsel together, their purpose is not ( or should not be) to ascertain what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/ideally-when-christians-meet-as-christians-do-to-take-counsel/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [There are dangers in consensus: it could be an attempt to satisfy people holding no particular views about anything. ... No great party can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/there-are-dangers-in-consensus-it-could-be-an-attempt-to-satisfy/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [If it's me against 48, I feel sorry for the 48.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/if-it-s-me-against-48-i-feel-sorry-for-the-48/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [ \[When asked how it felt to be a female prime minister:\] I don't know: I've never experienced the alternative. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/when-asked-how-it-felt-to-be-a-female-prime-minister-i-don-t-know-i/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [It is sometimes said that because of our past we, as a people, expect too much and set our sights too high. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/it-is-sometimes-said-that-because-of-our-past-we-as-a-people-expect/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Unless we change our ways and our direction, our greatness as a nation will soon be a footnote in the history books, a distant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/unless-we-change-our-ways-and-our-direction-our-greatness-as-a-nation/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [I don't think any woman in power really has a happy life unless she's got a large number of women friends ... because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-don-t-think-any-woman-in-power-really-has-a-happy-life-unless-she-s/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [People from my sort of background needed grammar schools to compete with children from privileged homes like Shirley Williams and Anthony Wedgwood Benn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/people-from-my-sort-of-background-needed-grammar-schools-to-compete/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [What is success? I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing; knowing that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/what-is-success-i-think-it-is-a-mixture-of-having-a-flair-for-the/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Personal virtue is no substitute for political hard-headedness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/personal-virtue-is-no-substitute-for-political-hard-headedness/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [The Government wants a peaceful settlement. But we totally reject a peaceful sell-out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/the-government-wants-a-peaceful-settlement-but-we-totally-reject-a/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [We have made too much of one or two people, and we think that they can win or lose elections for us. Don't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/we-have-made-too-much-of-one-or-two-people-and-we-think-that-they-can/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [I pay tribute to John Major's achievement in persuading the other 11 Community Heads of Government that they could move ahead to a Social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-pay-tribute-to-john-major-s-achievement-in-persuading-the-other-11/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Israel must never be expected to jeopardize her security: if she was ever foolish enough to do so, and then suffered for it, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/israel-must-never-be-expected-to-jeopardize-her-security-if-she-was/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) [Explore all 539 Margaret Thatcher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) ## More Aggression quotes > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I used to fight with hate. There's been a lot of aggression in my past growing up and stuff. That's because I was hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-namajunas/i-used-to-fight-with-hate-there-s-been-a-lot-of-aggression-in-my-past/) [Rose Namajunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-namajunas/) > [We have nothing in our history or position to invite aggression; we have everything to beckon us to the cultivation of relations of peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-nothing-in-our-history-or-position-to-invite-aggression-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I take up the standpoint that the tendency to aggression is an innate, independent, instinctual disposition in man, and I come back now to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/i-take-up-the-standpoint-that-the-tendency-to-aggression-is-an-innate/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Boxing can be so important to young people, it keeps you off the street and you can channel your energy and aggression in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-benn/boxing-can-be-so-important-to-young-people-it-keeps-you-off-the/) [Nigel Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-benn/) > [“That which is of great value cannot be attained through aggression. You will be able to find the mystery of life only if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/that-which-is-of-great-value-cannot-be-attained-through-aggression/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/a-society-that-presumes-a-norm-of-violence-and-celebrates-aggression/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [I can remember watching MTV Cribs - these amazing houses - and looking around my house where there was no carpet on the floors.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bugzy-malone/i-can-remember-watching-mtv-cribs-these-amazing-houses-and-looking/) [Bugzy Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bugzy-malone/) > [Nationalism, on my opinion, is nothing more than an idealistic rationalization for militarism and aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/nationalism-on-my-opinion-is-nothing-more-than-an-idealistic/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I really like battle ropes. They're so versatile; you can get a terrific workout doing a ton of different exercises with them. My clients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunnar-peterson/i-really-like-battle-ropes-they-re-so-versatile-you-can-get-a/) [Gunnar Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunnar-peterson/) > [ Now they \[the Powers\] have started the aggression, and the extinction of our nation is imminent. If we just fold our arms and yield… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/empress-dowager-cixi/now-they-the-powers-have-started-the-aggression-and-the-extinction-of/) [Empress Dowager Cixi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/empress-dowager-cixi/) > [I'm not going to appeal to violence or aggression - of course not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexei-navalny/i-m-not-going-to-appeal-to-violence-or-aggression-of-course-not/) [Alexei Navalny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexei-navalny/) > [This is passive-aggression in action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/this-is-passive-aggression-in-action/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [When a child hits a child, we call it aggression. When a child hits an adult, we call it hostility. When an adult hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-a-child-hits-a-child-we-call-it-aggression-when-a-child-hits-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A lot of times I have the song inside of me and I have to fight to get it out. I'm a very visual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zola-jesus/a-lot-of-times-i-have-the-song-inside-of-me-and-i-have-to-fight-to/) [Zola Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zola-jesus/) [Browse all 860 Aggression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Major international interventions are doomed unless the US is directly or indirectly involved. But if American politicians, officials and servicemen are to be put at risk of arrest and prosecution, the United States will be most reluctant to act in order to curb aggression or prevent genocide. 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