Find Quote by Timothy D. Snyder
“The premise of Russian foreign policy to the West is that the rule of law is one big joke; the practice of Russian foreign policy is to find prominent people in the West who agree.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Road to Unfreedom, Timothy D. Snyder, 2018
Russian foreign policy claims legal norms but actually seeks influential Western allies to advance its agenda.
In simple terms: Russia pretends to respect law while courting powerful Western figures.
Key Takeaway
Beware of hidden alliances that undermine stated principles.
Themes
politics
foreign policy
trust
influence
hypocrisy
Mood
cautious
critical
skeptical
Type
political
analytical
When to use this quote
- diplomatic negotiations
- media analysis
- policy making
- international business
Key Concepts
realpolitik
soft power
elite networking
Questions to Reflect On
- Who might be silently supporting contradictory policies?
- How can societies guard against covert influence?
A Different Perspective
The strategy can backfire if allies expose the hypocrisy.
![“There was a real choice when [Barack Obama] became president. It was a very difficult choice - to say, "We're not going to hold senior officials to account with the same laws that every other citizen in the country is held to," or "This is a nation that believes in the rule of law."” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/104/edward-snowden-555_accounts_there-was-a-real-choice-when-barack-obam_27838.jpg)
