--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In my view, America has never had the…" description: "\"In my view, America has never had the opportunity to enter paradise. Europe enjoys the paradise it enjoys, in part because the United States provides t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e08/robert-kagan-27474_america_in-my-view-america-has-never-had-the-opp_2651218.jpg" --- # In my view, America has never had the opportunity to enter… ![“In my view, America has never had the opportunity to enter paradise. Europe enjoys the paradise it enjoys, in part because the United States provides the overall security that allows Europe to live in a system where military power is not a major issue.” quote by Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e08/robert-kagan-27474_america_in-my-view-america-has-never-had-the-opp_2651218.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e08/robert-kagan-27474_america_in-my-view-america-has-never-had-the-opp_2651218.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e08/robert-kagan-27474_america_in-my-view-america-has-never-had-the-opp_2651218.jpg) > “In my view, America has never had the opportunity to enter paradise. Europe enjoys the paradise it enjoys, in part because the United States provides the overall security that allows Europe to live in a system where military power is not a major issue.” [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The US provides security that lets Europe enjoy peace, so America indirectly creates a stable environment for Europe. **In simple terms:** America’s security enables Europe’s peace. Key Takeaway Recognize and maintain strategic alliances. Themes security geopolitics America Europe alliances Mood analytical concerned Type policy strategic When to use this quote - NATO exercises - defense spending - diplomatic negotiations - crisis response planning Key Concepts Hegemony deterrence global stability Questions to Reflect On - Should Europe develop more independent security capabilities? - How does US involvement affect European autonomy? A Different Perspective Overreliance on US security may limit European self‑reliance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Military power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military-power/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Paradise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradise/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) ## Related quotes > [When I was eight, I would watch 'Friends' religiously. I had the entire DVD set. That was my whole view of America. That really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-viswanathan/when-i-was-eight-i-would-watch-friends-religiously-i-had-the-entire/) [Geraldine Viswanathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-viswanathan/) > [I've seen foreigners really shift on their view of America, and that's hard for me to take.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-corgan/i-ve-seen-foreigners-really-shift-on-their-view-of-america-and-that-s/) [Billy Corgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-corgan/) > [I guess my view of America is of a real bighearted country, real compassionate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-guess-my-view-of-america-is-of-a-real-bighearted-country-real/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [You either choose to view America as the shining city on the hill that inspires the best in all mankind, or you don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/you-either-choose-to-view-america-as-the-shining-city-on-the-hill/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [I'm obviously not an advocate of Christian America or a simplistic view of America as 'a city on a hill.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/i-m-obviously-not-an-advocate-of-christian-america-or-a-simplistic/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [America should do a reverse Columbus. The world no longer needs to discover America; but America urgently needs to discover the world's view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/america-should-do-a-reverse-columbus-the-world-no-longer-needs-to/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [When you have a hammer, all problems start to look like nails. But nations without great military power face the opposite danger: When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/when-you-have-a-hammer-all-problems-start-to-look-like-nails-but/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [International order is not an evolution; it is an imposition. It is the domination of one vision over others- in this case, the domination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/international-order-is-not-an-evolution-it-is-an-imposition-it-is-the/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [Based on all criteria - military power, economic influence, cultural dominance - America remains number one, even though other, new players are increasingly challenging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/based-on-all-criteria-military-power-economic-influence-cultural/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [The beauty of America is that everyone has the opportunity to build their own American dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-steel/the-beauty-of-america-is-that-everyone-has-the-opportunity-to-build/) [Michelle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-steel/) > [If hemp could supply the energy needs of the United States, its value would be inestimable. Now that the drug czar is in final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-downs/if-hemp-could-supply-the-energy-needs-of-the-united-states-its-value/) [Hugh Downs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-downs/) > [I believe that America has the opportunity to once again live by our values, live up to our values in the 21st century, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-believe-that-america-has-the-opportunity-to-once-again-live-by-our/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Every human being has a dream. I think what's special about the American Dream is that it implies, given everything that's happened with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/every-human-being-has-a-dream-i-think-what-s-special-about-the/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [America is another name for opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/america-is-another-name-for-opportunity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Government doesn't have to be the enemy, but too much government has produced a new kind of inequality in America: opportunity inequality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/government-doesn-t-have-to-be-the-enemy-but-too-much-government-has/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) ## More by Robert Kagan > [International order is not an evolution; it is an imposition. It is the domination of one vision over others- in this case, the domination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/international-order-is-not-an-evolution-it-is-an-imposition-it-is-the/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [Americans are from Mars, Europeans are from Venus: they agree on little and understand each other less and less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/americans-are-from-mars-europeans-are-from-venus-they-agree-on-little/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [The thing that I would say is that U.S. power is not eternal. I am not saying that it won't come to an end.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/the-thing-that-i-would-say-is-that-u-s-power-is-not-eternal-i-am-not/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [If a caterpillar doesn't know its future has wings, it hardly experiences itself as land-bound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/if-a-caterpillar-doesn-t-know-its-future-has-wings-it-hardly/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [Obviously the administration intends to publicize all the weapons of mass destruction U.S. forces find - and there will be plenty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/obviously-the-administration-intends-to-publicize-all-the-weapons-of/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [“Americans, in foreign policy, are torn to the point of schizophrenia. They are reluctant, than aggressive; asleep at the switch, then quick on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/americans-in-foreign-policy-are-torn-to-the-point-of-schizophrenia/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [Under our Constitution, military leaders have no choice but to endorse the president's decision after giving him their best advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/under-our-constitution-military-leaders-have-no-choice-but-to-endorse/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [“Foreign policy is like hitting a baseball: if you fail 70 percent of the time, you go to the Hall of Fame.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/foreign-policy-is-like-hitting-a-baseball-if-you-fail-70-percent-of/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [Based on all criteria - military power, economic influence, cultural dominance - America remains number one, even though other, new players are increasingly challenging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/based-on-all-criteria-military-power-economic-influence-cultural/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [It is true that I have known Straussians almost all my life. And the one thing I was taught about them from the earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/it-is-true-that-i-have-known-straussians-almost-all-my-life-and-the/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [I believe it is still true that conflicts among major powers usually stem from geopolitical rivalries but rarely from economic competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/i-believe-it-is-still-true-that-conflicts-among-major-powers-usually/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [Well, I think he's right to notice that there is a difference in attitudes and even in the broadest sense of world view between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/well-i-think-he-s-right-to-notice-that-there-is-a-difference-in/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [When you have a hammer, all problems start to look like nails. But nations without great military power face the opposite danger: When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/when-you-have-a-hammer-all-problems-start-to-look-like-nails-but/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [I left Russia in 1993 optimistic that democracy had taken hold despite the obstacles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/i-left-russia-in-1993-optimistic-that-democracy-had-taken-hold/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [When you have a hammer, all problems start to look like nails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/when-you-have-a-hammer-all-problems-start-to-look-like-nails/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) [Explore all 20 Robert Kagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In my view, America has never had the opportunity to enter paradise. Europe enjoys the paradise it enjoys, in part because the United States provides the overall security that allows Europe to live in a system where military power is not a major issue.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Kagan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/in-my-view-america-has-never-had-the-opportunity-to-enter-paradise/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/in-my-view-america-has-never-had-the-opportunity-to-enter-paradise/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e08/robert-kagan-27474_america_in-my-view-america-has-never-had-the-opp_2651218.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e08/robert-kagan-27474_america_in-my-view-america-has-never-had-the-opp_2651218.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e08/robert-kagan-27474_america_in-my-view-america-has-never-had-the-opp_2651218.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In my view, America has never had the opportunity to enter paradise. Europe enjoys the paradise it enjoys…” — Robert Kagan", "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": "Robert Kagan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In my view, America has never...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/in-my-view-america-has-never-had-the-opportunity-to-enter-paradise/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/in-my-view-america-has-never-had-the-opportunity-to-enter-paradise/#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 } } ] } ```