--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The United States emerged from the Cold…" description: "\"The United States emerged from the Cold War with unprecedented absolute and relative power. It was truly first among unequals.\" — Richard N. Haass" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6f/richard-n-haass-3803_cold_the-united-states-emerged-from-the-cold_2798501.jpg" --- # The United States emerged from the Cold War with… ![“The United States emerged from the Cold War with unprecedented absolute and relative power. It was truly first among unequals.” quote by Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6f/richard-n-haass-3803_cold_the-united-states-emerged-from-the-cold_2798501.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6f/richard-n-haass-3803_cold_the-united-states-emerged-from-the-cold_2798501.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6f/richard-n-haass-3803_cold_the-united-states-emerged-from-the-cold_2798501.jpg) > “The United States emerged from the Cold War with unprecedented absolute and relative power. It was truly first among unequals.” [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Post‑Cold War America holds unmatched global influence, yet faces new challenges that could erode its dominance. **In simple terms:** US is uniquely powerful now. Key Takeaway Maintain alliances and adapt to emerging threats. Themes geopolitics power leadership Mood strategic concerned Type political analytical When to use this quote - policy planning - diplomacy - defense strategy Key Concepts global order strategic competition national security Questions to Reflect On - How can the US sustain its leadership? - What emerging threats demand attention? A Different Perspective Complacency can undermine strength. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Cold war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold-war/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [We have Internet now and people are not stupid. But it seems that some people are trying to push the same agenda of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/we-have-internet-now-and-people-are-not-stupid-but-it-seems-that-some/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [The United States should not under any circumstances throw away our gun until we are sure the rest of the world cannot arm against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/the-united-states-should-not-under-any-circumstances-throw-away-our/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Much has changed since the end of the Cold War that augurs well for the survival of our nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-schiff/much-has-changed-since-the-end-of-the-cold-war-that-augurs-well-for/) [Adam Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-schiff/) > [We wasted a lot of creative energy in that immediate post colonial era, when there was a struggle between, you know, the Cold War…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/we-wasted-a-lot-of-creative-energy-in-that-immediate-post-colonial/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [The rule for effective governance is simple. It is one Ronald Reagan knew by heart. And one that he successfully employed with Social Security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/the-rule-for-effective-governance-is-simple-it-is-one-ronald-reagan/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [The Cold War philosophy of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD), which prevented the former Soviet Union and the United States from using the nuclear weapons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lewis/the-cold-war-philosophy-of-mutual-assured-destruction-mad-which/) [Bernard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lewis/) > [I have seen the rise and fall of Nazi tyranny, the subsequent cold war and the nuclear nightmare that for fifty years haunted the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-have-seen-the-rise-and-fall-of-nazi-tyranny-the-subsequent-cold-war/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [TICAD is a conference Japan launched in 1993 to assist self-supporting development in Africa against the backdrop of the declining international interest in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fumio-kishida/ticad-is-a-conference-japan-launched-in-1993-to-assist-self/) [Fumio Kishida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fumio-kishida/) > [During the Cold War, we lived in coded times when it wasn't easy and there were shades of grey and ambiguity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/during-the-cold-war-we-lived-in-coded-times-when-it-wasn-t-easy-and/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/and-so-the-greatest-of-american-triumphs-became-a-peculiarly-joyless/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [Ever since the end of the Cold War, it has been our paramount interest in Europe to strengthen NATO and to extend it -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-malinowski/ever-since-the-end-of-the-cold-war-it-has-been-our-paramount-interest/) [Tom Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-malinowski/) > [If you don't like us, don't accept our invitations and don't invite us to come to see you. Whether you like it or not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/if-you-don-t-like-us-don-t-accept-our-invitations-and-don-t-invite-us/) [Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/) > [We do not have the right to forget that reactionary imperialism exists and its forces actively operate in the world, that they encourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-grechko/we-do-not-have-the-right-to-forget-that-reactionary-imperialism/) Andrei Grechko > [We have won an armistice on a single battlefield, not peace in our world. We may not now relax our guard nor cease our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/we-have-won-an-armistice-on-a-single-battlefield-not-peace-in-our/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [If... many influential people have failed to understand, or have just forgotten, what we were up against in the Cold War and how we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/if-many-influential-people-have-failed-to-understand-or-have-just/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) ## More by Richard N. Haass > [Terrorists and terrorism cannot be eliminated any more than we can rid the world of disease. There will always be those who will resort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/terrorists-and-terrorism-cannot-be-eliminated-any-more-than-we-can/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [There is no way to know for certain what accounts for North Korean decisionmaking, given how closed a country it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/there-is-no-way-to-know-for-certain-what-accounts-for-north-korean/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [Security is the absolute precondition for sustainable recovery from conflict; without it, people cannot rebuild their country or return to school or work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/security-is-the-absolute-precondition-for-sustainable-recovery-from/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [When great powers fade, as they inevitably must, it's normally for one of two reasons. Some powers exhaust themselves through overreach abroad, underinvestment at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/when-great-powers-fade-as-they-inevitably-must-it-s-normally-for-one/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [Americans never would alter the way entitlement programs are funded or education administered without serious study and widespread debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/americans-never-would-alter-the-way-entitlement-programs-are-funded/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [Sovereignty must be redefined if states are to cope with globalisation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/sovereignty-must-be-redefined-if-states-are-to-cope-with-globalisation/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [America's armed forces are an essential background to much of what the U.S. accomplishes internationally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/america-s-armed-forces-are-an-essential-background-to-much-of-what/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [No amount of sanctioning will persuade North Korea to give up nuclear weapons, nor will China step up and solve the problem for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/no-amount-of-sanctioning-will-persuade-north-korea-to-give-up-nuclear/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [Weapons of mass destruction - nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons - are just that, and no cause can excuse their use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/weapons-of-mass-destruction-nuclear-biological-and-chemical-weapons/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [No one pursuing reasonable goals and who is prepared to compromise can argue that terrorism is his or his group's only option.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/no-one-pursuing-reasonable-goals-and-who-is-prepared-to-compromise/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [The rise of populism is in part a response to stagnating incomes and job loss, owing mostly to new technologies but widely attributed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/the-rise-of-populism-is-in-part-a-response-to-stagnating-incomes-and/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [We all have some basic obligation to one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/we-all-have-some-basic-obligation-to-one-another/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [What countries must do to join the World Trade Organization is precisely what they must do to become productive and democratic: accept the rule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/what-countries-must-do-to-join-the-world-trade-organization-is/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [I believe in diplomacy; I don't believe in talking to... that talking to Iran somehow constitutes a concession or a favour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/i-believe-in-diplomacy-i-don-t-believe-in-talking-to-that-talking-to/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [I've worked for four presidents, and I've concluded that almost nothing is inevitable. History is to a significant extent the result of the interaction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/i-ve-worked-for-four-presidents-and-i-ve-concluded-that-almost/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) [Explore all 121 Richard N. Haass quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) ## More Cold quotes > [Once ye made up yer mind to do somethin', 'tis better t'stumble o'er the small hillock of jump-ahead than t'bash yer head on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/once-ye-made-up-yer-mind-to-do-somethin-tis-better-t-stumble-o-er-the/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [Of course Messi could handle a cold Tuesday night in Stoke. He'd be drinking tea and relaxing beforehand. Me? I'd probably be the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neymar/of-course-messi-could-handle-a-cold-tuesday-night-in-stoke-he-d-be/) [Neymar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neymar/) > [This cold weather has set all the young Folks to providing Bedfellows. I have signed two or three Licences every Day \[as a Fairfax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/this-cold-weather-has-set-all-the-young-folks-to-providing-bedfellows/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/) [Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/) > [You start playing when it's cold and you want to be playing when it's cold again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimy-williams/you-start-playing-when-it-s-cold-and-you-want-to-be-playing-when-it-s/) Jimy Williams > [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [I would have touched it like a child But knew my finger could but have touched Cold stone and water. I grew wild, Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/i-would-have-touched-it-like-a-child-but-knew-my-finger-could-but/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [What's to become of the morally sound? Left out in the cold, I suppose. We must heal the sick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/what-s-to-become-of-the-morally-sound-left-out-in-the-cold-i-suppose/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [When I first started, all the reviews of Cold Chisel would say, 'This singer won't have a voice in six months.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-barnes/when-i-first-started-all-the-reviews-of-cold-chisel-would-say-this/) [Jimmy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-barnes/) > [One of the problems trying to play an instrument outside in the cold is your fingers give up on you and you can't wear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-macdonald/one-of-the-problems-trying-to-play-an-instrument-outside-in-the-cold/) [Amy Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-macdonald/) > [God tempers the cold to the shorn sheep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-etienne-sainte-claire-deville/god-tempers-the-cold-to-the-shorn-sheep/) Henri Etienne Sainte-Claire Deville > [Those nights lying alone are not discontinuous with this cold hectic dawn. It is who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/those-nights-lying-alone-are-not-discontinuous-with-this-cold-hectic/) [Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/) [Browse all 5,381 Cold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The United States emerged from the Cold War with unprecedented absolute and relative power. It was truly first among unequals.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard N. 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