---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think no one could have made peace in…"
description: "\"I think no one could have made peace in Bosnia besides Holbrooke.\" — Michael Ignatieff"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/michael-ignatieff-3146_besides_i-think-no-one-could-have-made-peace-in_268981.jpg"
---

#  I think no one could have made peace in Bosnia besides…

![“I think no one could have made peace in Bosnia besides Holbrooke.” quote by Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/michael-ignatieff-3146_besides_i-think-no-one-could-have-made-peace-in_268981.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/michael-ignatieff-3146_besides_i-think-no-one-could-have-made-peace-in_268981.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/michael-ignatieff-3146_besides_i-think-no-one-could-have-made-peace-in_268981.jpg)

> “I think no one could have made peace in Bosnia besides Holbrooke.”

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Peace in Bosnia required a unique diplomatic figure, which Holbrooke uniquely embodied.

**In simple terms:** Holbrooke was essential for Bosnian peace.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the impact of skilled mediators.

Themes

diplomacy conflict resolution leadership

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

historical political

When to use this quote

- UN negotiations
- peace talks
- conflict mediation

Key Concepts

realpolitik negotiation international relations

Questions to Reflect On

- What qualities make a mediator effective?
- Could peace have been achieved without Holbrooke?

A Different Perspective

Other diplomats also contributed; success was collective.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bosnia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bosnia/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/)

## Related quotes

> [I would sacrifice peace for a sovereign Bosnia-Herzegovina ... but for that peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina I would not sacrifice sovereignty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alija-izetbegovic/i-would-sacrifice-peace-for-a-sovereign-bosnia-herzegovina-but-for/)

[Alija Izetbegovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alija-izetbegovic/)

> [I would sacrifice peace in order to win sovereignty for Bosnia, but for that peace in Bosnia, I would not sacrifice sovereignty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alija-izetbegovic/i-would-sacrifice-peace-in-order-to-win-sovereignty-for-bosnia-but/)

[Alija Izetbegovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alija-izetbegovic/)

> [I started to think more about becoming peace rather than fighting for peace, and the contradiction in terms, and the anger and violence that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/i-started-to-think-more-about-becoming-peace-rather-than-fighting-for/)

[Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/)

> [“Do you think any of us go anywhere until we have the truth? Do you think there’s peace without justice?” “No, I don’t,” Eve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/do-you-think-any-of-us-go-anywhere-until-we-have-the-truth-do-you/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

> [If you think that peace and happiness are somewhere else and you run after them, you will never arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/if-you-think-that-peace-and-happiness-are-somewhere-else-and-you-run/)

[Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/)

> [When you think of Buddhism, you're likely to think of peace and tranquility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/when-you-think-of-buddhism-you-re-likely-to-think-of-peace-and/)

[Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/)

> [There is a fear of peace that I don't understand. Witness the old epithet "peaceniks," the association of peace with weakness. We mistake kindness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-james/there-is-a-fear-of-peace-that-i-don-t-understand-witness-the-old/)

[Jennifer James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-james/)

> [It would be naïve to think that peace and justice can be achieved easily. No set of rules or study of history will automatically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/it-would-be-na-ve-to-think-that-peace-and-justice-can-be-achieved/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [I think that peace is, in many ways, a precondition of joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/i-think-that-peace-is-in-many-ways-a-precondition-of-joy/)

[Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/)

> [“You're all geniuses, and you're all beautiful. You don't need anyone to tell you who you are. You are what you are. Get out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/you-re-all-geniuses-and-you-re-all-beautiful-you-don-t-need-anyone-to/)

[John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/)

> [“You ought to know, you were my best friend. You were. I know you loved me. I loved you. No one should have gone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-chee/you-ought-to-know-you-were-my-best-friend-you-were-i-know-you-loved/)

[Alexander Chee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-chee/)

> [“The natural state of man is war. I think that peace is an interval for preparation.” The novel is significant because”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-e-ricks-2/the-natural-state-of-man-is-war-i-think-that-peace-is-an-interval-for/)

[Thomas E. Ricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-e-ricks-2/)

> [“If you are not using your mind for self-torture, why would you think of peace?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadhguru/if-you-are-not-using-your-mind-for-self-torture-why-would-you-think/)

[Sadhguru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadhguru/)

> [We may think of peace as the absence of war, that if the great powers would reduce their weapons arsenals, we could have peace.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/we-may-think-of-peace-as-the-absence-of-war-that-if-the-great-powers/)

[Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/)

> [If you want to get peace, you can get it as soon as you like if we all pull together. ... Think peace, live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/if-you-want-to-get-peace-you-can-get-it-as-soon-as-you-like-if-we-all/)

[John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/)

## More by Michael Ignatieff

> [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [What really matters is getting new people in. The constitutional changes matter, but the thing that the party mustn't do is turn in on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/what-really-matters-is-getting-new-people-in-the-constitutional/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [The medium's gaze is brief, intense, and promiscuous. The shelf life of the moral causes it makes its own is brutally short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-medium-s-gaze-is-brief-intense-and-promiscuous-the-shelf-life-of/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Those with a gift for action, for their part, often express contempt for those whose gifts are more reflective. Men of action like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/those-with-a-gift-for-action-for-their-part-often-express-contempt/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [There are lots of nations in the world or national peoples who don't yet have states. They're inside someone else's state and they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/there-are-lots-of-nations-in-the-world-or-national-peoples-who-don-t/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [There's a civic nationalism in Britain and dozens of other countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/there-s-a-civic-nationalism-in-britain-and-dozens-of-other-countries/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Affirming belief that America is an exceptional nation has become a test of patriotism in American politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/affirming-belief-that-america-is-an-exceptional-nation-has-become-a/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Both Iraq and Syria are a fissile mixture of ethnicities and religions thrown together after Versailles by departing French and British imperialists and only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/both-iraq-and-syria-are-a-fissile-mixture-of-ethnicities-and/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [The legitimacy of coercive acts in a democracy arises from the process by which they are justified and by the degree to which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-legitimacy-of-coercive-acts-in-a-democracy-arises-from-the/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Some of our finest leaders were not intellectuals at all, and I admire them enormously because they weren't. Harry Truman wasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/some-of-our-finest-leaders-were-not-intellectuals-at-all-and-i-admire/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [If you get the access to see history happen, do you understand the history when it does happen? And the answer to that question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/if-you-get-the-access-to-see-history-happen-do-you-understand-the/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [I have been a journalist, off and on, since I was 17. I was a copy boy for the 'New York Times,' when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/i-have-been-a-journalist-off-and-on-since-i-was-17-i-was-a-copy-boy/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [In academic life, false ideas are merely false, and useless ones can be fun to play with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/in-academic-life-false-ideas-are-merely-false-and-useless-ones-can-be/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Liberal democracy has endured because its institutions are designed for handling morally hazardous forms of coercive power. It puts the question of how far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/liberal-democracy-has-endured-because-its-institutions-are-designed/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [An intellectual may be interested in ideas and policies for their own sake, but a politician's interest is exclusively in the question of whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/an-intellectual-may-be-interested-in-ideas-and-policies-for-their-own/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

[Explore all 138 Michael Ignatieff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

## More Besides quotes

> [Maybe there's some kind of modeling that can be tedious, like catalogue modeling, but there's a kind of modeling, with runways or working with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-rossellini/maybe-there-s-some-kind-of-modeling-that-can-be-tedious-like/)

[Isabella Rossellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-rossellini/)

> [Directors have so much else to do besides tell actors what to do. There are so many issues and problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-douglas/directors-have-so-much-else-to-do-besides-tell-actors-what-to-do/)

[Michael Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-douglas/)

> [If art is singular expression, then by nature, the best art is controversial. But when art stirs debate for reasons besides its artistic integrity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/if-art-is-singular-expression-then-by-nature-the-best-art-is/)

[John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/)

> [When I thought about Detroit, I would think big city, very urban - not a lot of places to walk around, not a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-cummings/when-i-thought-about-detroit-i-would-think-big-city-very-urban-not-a/)

[Erin Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-cummings/)

> [I don't hold any regrets whatsoever about my life besides hurting people I loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-leonard/i-don-t-hold-any-regrets-whatsoever-about-my-life-besides-hurting/)

[Sugar Ray Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-leonard/)

> [Besides the devastating impact that the Ryan budget has directly on individuals, it does nothing to support job creation or our global competitiveness. Investments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albio-sires/besides-the-devastating-impact-that-the-ryan-budget-has-directly-on/)

[Albio Sires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albio-sires/)

> [Your normal Wall Street big-swinging Richard has enough of a lingering moral compass to at least tell himself that his wizardry benefits somebody or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/your-normal-wall-street-big-swinging-richard-has-enough-of-a/)

[Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/)

> [The master class seldom lose a chance to insult a woman who has the ability for something besides service to his lordship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-master-class-seldom-lose-a-chance-to-insult-a-woman-who-has-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You can't exactly bake a man to your specifications. Most of all, one shouldn't alienate a candidate. A hybrid of Einstein, Tarzan and Inge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peer-steinbruck/you-can-t-exactly-bake-a-man-to-your-specifications-most-of-all-one/)

[Peer Steinbruck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peer-steinbruck/)

> [I watch Jon Stewart because I need to laugh. Otherwise, life gets too serious. Besides that, I don't watch any news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-watch-jon-stewart-because-i-need-to-laugh-otherwise-life-gets-too/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [No writer besides Shakespeare has created more memorable characters attached to vices and virtues. In even their least sympathetic characters, one senses a kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rosenblatt/no-writer-besides-shakespeare-has-created-more-memorable-characters/)

[Roger Rosenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rosenblatt/)

> ['Firewall' seems both scary and protective at the same time. And how often does that happen within one word besides 'military' and 'government?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/firewall-seems-both-scary-and-protective-at-the-same-time-and-how/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [And I'm always surprised when people have seen 'The Foot Fist Way', so when people bring that up, I'm always surprised that's reached other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-mcbride/and-i-m-always-surprised-when-people-have-seen-the-foot-fist-way-so/)

[Danny McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-mcbride/)

> [Besides taking jobs from American workers, illegal immigration creates huge economic burdens on our health care system, our education system, our criminal justice system,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-c-ting/besides-taking-jobs-from-american-workers-illegal-immigration-creates/)

[Jan C. Ting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-c-ting/)

> [Every black film feels like it's Tyler Perry, and that just needs to stop. But people seem to slowly be looking for what else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issa-rae/every-black-film-feels-like-it-s-tyler-perry-and-that-just-needs-to/)

[Issa Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issa-rae/)

Browse all 126 Besides quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think no one could have made peace in Bosnia besides Holbrooke.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Ignatieff"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/i-think-no-one-could-have-made-peace-in-bosnia-besides-holbrooke/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Besides"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/i-think-no-one-could-have-made-peace-in-bosnia-besides-holbrooke/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/michael-ignatieff-3146_besides_i-think-no-one-could-have-made-peace-in_268981.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/michael-ignatieff-3146_besides_i-think-no-one-could-have-made-peace-in_268981.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/michael-ignatieff-3146_besides_i-think-no-one-could-have-made-peace-in_268981.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think no one could have made peace in Bosnia besides Holbrooke.” — Michael Ignatieff",
                "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": "Michael Ignatieff",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think no one could have...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/i-think-no-one-could-have-made-peace-in-bosnia-besides-holbrooke/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/i-think-no-one-could-have-made-peace-in-bosnia-besides-holbrooke/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
