--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great powers reserve the right to police…" description: "\"Great powers reserve the right to police bad actors in their neighborhoods.\" — Thomas P.M. Barnett" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/thomas-p-m-barnett-15900_actor_great-powers-reserve-the-right-to-police_1073999.jpg" --- # Great powers reserve the right to police bad actors in… ![“Great powers reserve the right to police bad actors in their neighborhoods.” quote by Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/thomas-p-m-barnett-15900_actor_great-powers-reserve-the-right-to-police_1073999.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/thomas-p-m-barnett-15900_actor_great-powers-reserve-the-right-to-police_1073999.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/thomas-p-m-barnett-15900_actor_great-powers-reserve-the-right-to-police_1073999.jpg) > “Great powers reserve the right to police bad actors in their neighborhoods.” [Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-m-barnett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great powers claim authority to intervene against harmful actors within their own regions. **In simple terms:** Powerful nations police local threats. Key Takeaway Exercise responsible oversight. Themes security international relations power dynamics Mood cautious strategic Type political reflective When to use this quote - military alliances - diplomatic negotiations - law enforcement cooperation Key Concepts sovereignty intervention regional stability Questions to Reflect On - When is external policing justified? - What safeguards prevent abuse? A Different Perspective Risk of overreach and conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Great power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-power/) [Neighborhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighborhood/) [Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powers/) [Reserves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reserves/) ## Related quotes > [Police are not all bad guys. Nobody is all bad guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-a-menninger/police-are-not-all-bad-guys-nobody-is-all-bad-guys/) [Karl A. Menninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-a-menninger/) > [Freedoms and apprenticeships are likewise expedients of police,not of that wholesome branch of police, whose object is the maintenance of the public and private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-say/freedoms-and-apprenticeships-are-likewise-expedients-of-police-not-of/) [Jean-Baptiste Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-say/) > [This is going right to the police. So, it's a very dangerous precedent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-abrams/this-is-going-right-to-the-police-so-it-s-a-very-dangerous-precedent/) [Floyd Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-abrams/) > [We have to know what we're doing. Right now, our police, in many cases, are afraid to do anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-have-to-know-what-we-re-doing-right-now-our-police-in-many-cases/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The right of the police of Boston to affiliate has always been questioned, never granted, is now prohibited… There is no rightto strike against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/the-right-of-the-police-of-boston-to-affiliate-has-always-been/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [“Well, I guess it’s all right, since the police are on the way. I truly appreciate your doing this for me. You did call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-hoisington/well-i-guess-it-s-all-right-since-the-police-are-on-the-way-i-truly/) Rod Hoisington > [Washington is no place for a good actor. The competition from bad actors is too great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/washington-is-no-place-for-a-good-actor-the-competition-from-bad/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [We know there are a lot of bad actors out there, even in education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cardona/we-know-there-are-a-lot-of-bad-actors-out-there-even-in-education/) [Miguel Cardona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-cardona/) > [Let me tell you a little secret: There are no bad actors. There are none. You have to find the right role. I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneva-carr/let-me-tell-you-a-little-secret-there-are-no-bad-actors-there-are/) [Geneva Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneva-carr/) > [I've said before that the common perception that all good actors should be good liars is exactly the opposite; only bad actors lie when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-ve-said-before-that-the-common-perception-that-all-good-actors/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [The actor has to have some degree of craft, along with the talent. No one tries to laugh except bad actors. 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Rogues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/every-industry-there-are-rogues-and-bad-actors-there-could-be-rogues/) [Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/) > [God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/god-writes-a-lot-of-comedy-the-trouble-is-he-s-stuck-with-so-many-bad/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) ## More by Thomas P.M. Barnett > [Once Europe's colonial empires were sent into deep decline, thanks to World War II, America became globalization's primary replicating force, integrating Asia into its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-m-barnett/once-europe-s-colonial-empires-were-sent-into-deep-decline-thanks-to/) [Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-m-barnett/) > [Despite living in this post-9/11 age of transnational terrorism, the risk of death during air travel has plummeted to the point where we now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-m-barnett/despite-living-in-this-post-9-11-age-of-transnational-terrorism-the/) [Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-m-barnett/) > [There is no battle space the U.S. Military cannot access. They said we couldn't do Afghanistan. We did it with ease. They said we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-m-barnett/there-is-no-battle-space-the-u-s-military-cannot-access-they-said-we/) [Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-m-barnett/) > [To ask a country with 750 million people living on less than a dollar a day to optimize their development for the environment as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-m-barnett/to-ask-a-country-with-750-million-people-living-on-less-than-a-dollar/) [Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-m-barnett/) > [Most Americans have little idea of how far our nation's worldwide standing had fallen by the end of the Bush administration; no matter how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-m-barnett/most-americans-have-little-idea-of-how-far-our-nation-s-worldwide/) [Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-m-barnett/) > [What makes a terrorist? Are the drivers primarily political or economic? Princeton economist Alan Krueger has made a great study of this question...What Makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-m-barnett/what-makes-a-terrorist-are-the-drivers-primarily-political-or/) [Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-m-barnett/) > [Crafty politician that he is, Obama was smart enough to set low enough standards for his administration to claim 'victory' by the summer of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-m-barnett/crafty-politician-that-he-is-obama-was-smart-enough-to-set-low-enough/) [Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-m-barnett/) > [Some Western demographers have posited, due to the female shortage created by the one-child policy, that China will be forced to field a vast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-m-barnett/some-western-demographers-have-posited-due-to-the-female-shortage/) [Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-m-barnett/) > [During the cold war, it was easy for the Pentagon to justify its budget, as the Soviets essentially sized our forces for us. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-m-barnett/during-the-cold-war-it-was-easy-for-the-pentagon-to-justify-its/) [Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-m-barnett/) > [I don't think, post 9/11, we're going to wait for real obvious things like Country A attacking Country B - because Country A doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-m-barnett/i-don-t-think-post-9-11-we-re-going-to-wait-for-real-obvious-things/) [Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-m-barnett/) > [You cant drag people from understanding to action. A customer isnt actually at the last mile if youre the one dragging her to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-m-barnett/you-cant-drag-people-from-understanding-to-action-a-customer-isnt/) [Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-m-barnett/) > [An economically confident America has - since becoming a world power at the start of the 20th century - tended toward global engagement. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-m-barnett/an-economically-confident-america-has-since-becoming-a-world-power-at/) [Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-m-barnett/) > [The Department of Homeland Security is a strategic feel good measure. It's going to be the Department of Agriculture for the 21st century. TSA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-m-barnett/the-department-of-homeland-security-is-a-strategic-feel-good-measure/) [Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-m-barnett/) > [Is there anything about cyberspace that particularly screams Air Force? Not really. 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I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. 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