--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have also been saddened, though hardly…" description: "\"I have also been saddened, though hardly surprised, by the weakness of the EU's reaction to the criminal attack on the Danish embassy in Syria, which s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/timothy-garton-ash-15575_criminals_i-have-also-been-saddened-though-hardly_2935832.png" --- # I have also been saddened, though hardly surprised, by the… ![“I have also been saddened, though hardly surprised, by the weakness of the EU's reaction to the criminal attack on the Danish embassy in Syria, which seems to have been permitted, if not actively encouraged, by the Syrian regime.” quote by Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/timothy-garton-ash-15575_criminals_i-have-also-been-saddened-though-hardly_2935832.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/timothy-garton-ash-15575_criminals_i-have-also-been-saddened-though-hardly_2935832.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/timothy-garton-ash-15575_criminals_i-have-also-been-saddened-though-hardly_2935832.png) > “I have also been saddened, though hardly surprised, by the weakness of the EU's reaction to the criminal attack on the Danish embassy in Syria, which seems to have been permitted, if not actively encouraged, by the Syrian regime.” [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The EU's weak reaction to a Syrian‑backed attack on a Danish embassy is troubling and possibly tacitly allowed. **In simple terms:** EU failed to strongly condemn a Syrian‑supported attack. Key Takeaway Demand stronger diplomatic action. Themes politics human rights EU policy Mood concerned serious Type political advocacy When to use this quote - diplomatic statements - policy debates - humanitarian crises Key Concepts state responsibility international law Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms can hold states accountable? - How can civil society influence EU policy? A Different Perspective Complex geopolitics may limit response. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Danish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danish/) [Embassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embassy/) [Eu Reaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eu-reaction-4351590/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Reactions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reactions/) [Regimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regimes/) [Saddened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saddened/) [Saddened Hardly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saddened-hardly-4351589/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Surprised Weakness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprised-weakness-4351592/) [Syria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/syria/) [Weakness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness/) [Weakness Eu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness-eu-4351591/) ## Related quotes > [Everyone is skeptical. Only the media are not skeptical, but, then, they were also not skeptical when the administration put out the line that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/everyone-is-skeptical-only-the-media-are-not-skeptical-but-then-they/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [... new EU embassies lack the expertise in the field of culture and given the budget cuts in all Member States it is important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-vimont/new-eu-embassies-lack-the-expertise-in-the-field-of-culture-and-given/) [Pierre Vimont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-vimont/) > [The Turkish Embassy in Washington is an ornate, eclectic building on the corner of Twenty-third Street and Massachusetts Avenue which was built originally for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-s-trow/the-turkish-embassy-in-washington-is-an-ornate-eclectic-building-on/) [George W. S. Trow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-s-trow/) > [ In my situation, frankly, I'm a bit institutionalised - this \[the embassy\] is the world .. it's visually the world \[for me\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/in-my-situation-frankly-i-m-a-bit-institutionalised-this-the-embassy/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Travelling childhoods are a common theme among actors. Army kids, embassy kids, travelling salesmen, clergy. Thing is, you learn about behaviour, that different places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/travelling-childhoods-are-a-common-theme-among-actors-army-kids/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [We have received unconfirmed reports out of our embassy in Amman in Jordan that two Indonesian nationals, or precisely two Indonesian reporters ... have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-natalegawa/we-have-received-unconfirmed-reports-out-of-our-embassy-in-amman-in/) [Marty Natalegawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-natalegawa/) > [I believe that American engagement, through our embassy, our businesses, and most of all through our people, is the best way to advance our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/i-believe-that-american-engagement-through-our-embassy-our-businesses/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [I was born in the city's general hospital on November 15, 1930, and we lived at 31 Amherst Avenue in the western suburbs. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/i-was-born-in-the-city-s-general-hospital-on-november-15-1930-and-we/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [Diplomacy in a sense is the opposite of writing. You have to disperse yourself so much: the lady who comes in crying because shes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/diplomacy-in-a-sense-is-the-opposite-of-writing-you-have-to-disperse/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [Why would our president close the embassy to the Vatican? Hopefully, it is not retribution for Catholic organizations opposing Obamacare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/why-would-our-president-close-the-embassy-to-the-vatican-hopefully-it/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [Over the last few years they have done a superb job in their fight against al-Qaida. As you may recall, our embassy in Jedda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-petraeus/over-the-last-few-years-they-have-done-a-superb-job-in-their-fight/) [David Petraeus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-petraeus/) > [After the revolution of 1979, Iran embarked on a policy of sectarianism. Iran began a policy of expanding its revolution, of interfering with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adel-al-jubeir/after-the-revolution-of-1979-iran-embarked-on-a-policy-of/) [Adel al-Jubeir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adel-al-jubeir/) > [The question really is how do we get Embassy Officers into the minds of the American business community. That is a much more difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-eagleburger/the-question-really-is-how-do-we-get-embassy-officers-into-the-minds/) [Lawrence Eagleburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-eagleburger/) > [This is the most terrible thing that can happen in a friendly country if Thai people have to escape from the backdoor of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thaksin-shinawatra/this-is-the-most-terrible-thing-that-can-happen-in-a-friendly-country/) [Thaksin Shinawatra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thaksin-shinawatra/) > [The attack on the British embassy in Tehran came just days after the Iranian 'parliament' voted to expel the British ambassador, and therefore reeks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/the-attack-on-the-british-embassy-in-tehran-came-just-days-after-the/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) ## More by Timothy Garton Ash > [I'm a historian by training and by conviction. And so the thing that has throughout informed my thinking about international relations is history. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/i-m-a-historian-by-training-and-by-conviction-and-so-the-thing-that/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [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/) > [Yet another thing Canadians and Europeans have in common is an obsession with the United States, and with distinguishing themselves from it, often by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/yet-another-thing-canadians-and-europeans-have-in-common-is-an/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [Ordinary Americans, and especially the small minority active in Democrat and Republican primaries, must learn more of what people across the globe are thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/ordinary-americans-and-especially-the-small-minority-active-in/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [No country in Europe has a larger proportion of men and women of immigrant descent, mainly from the African continent and mainly Muslim: an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/no-country-in-europe-has-a-larger-proportion-of-men-and-women-of/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [Well, that's the way democracy works. We have to build this Europe with the material we have at our disposal. And this material is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/well-that-s-the-way-democracy-works-we-have-to-build-this-europe-with/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [Europe is a woman, now middle-aged, who has already had a number of heart attacks and is currently experiencing the biggest health crisis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/europe-is-a-woman-now-middle-aged-who-has-already-had-a-number-of/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [The main problem with American power is not that it is American... No, the main problem with American power is the power itself. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/the-main-problem-with-american-power-is-not-that-it-is-american-no/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [What is the elephant in all our rooms? It is the global triumph of capitalism. Democracy is fiercely disputed. Freedom is under threat even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/what-is-the-elephant-in-all-our-rooms-it-is-the-global-triumph-of/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [Nuclear proliferation - the proliferation of WMDs altogether - is one of the greatest dangers of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/nuclear-proliferation-the-proliferation-of-wmds-altogether-is-one-of/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [I find Chinese debates about their political system domestically, but also about China's claims in the international system, to be among the most original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/i-find-chinese-debates-about-their-political-system-domestically-but/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [Every step that produces a single job for a currently unemployed European should be taken. Every centimetre of red tape that puts someone out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/every-step-that-produces-a-single-job-for-a-currently-unemployed/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [But transitions from the politics of violence to democratic compromise are always messy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/but-transitions-from-the-politics-of-violence-to-democratic/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [America is divided by a great argument about itself. Europe is divided by a great argument about America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/america-is-divided-by-a-great-argument-about-itself-europe-is-divided/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [The trouble is that privacy is at once essential to, and in tension with, both freedom and security. A cabinet minister who keeps his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/the-trouble-is-that-privacy-is-at-once-essential-to-and-in-tension/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) [Explore all 42 Timothy Garton Ash quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) ## More Criminals quotes > [We need to incorporate that age-old concept of redemption into the work that we do in the criminal justice system in California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/we-need-to-incorporate-that-age-old-concept-of-redemption-into-the/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) > [They're criminals, they brutalized Afghanistan, they killed our people, they destroyed our land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamid-karzai/they-re-criminals-they-brutalized-afghanistan-they-killed-our-people/) [Hamid Karzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamid-karzai/) > [There are over 500,000 registered sex offenders across the country, and statistics have shown that the recidivism rate for those criminals is high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sensenbrenner/there-are-over-500-000-registered-sex-offenders-across-the-country/) [Jim Sensenbrenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sensenbrenner/) > [Discovering witnesses is just as important as catching criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/discovering-witnesses-is-just-as-important-as-catching-criminals/) [Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/) > [The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. They feel that it makes their profession too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/the-proliferation-of-right-to-carry-laws-throughout-the-states-has/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [What most needs explanation is not why some people are criminals, but why most people are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-q-wilson/what-most-needs-explanation-is-not-why-some-people-are-criminals-but/) [James Q. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-q-wilson/) > [A criminal trial is never about seeking justice for the victim. If it were, there could be only one verdict: guilty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/a-criminal-trial-is-never-about-seeking-justice-for-the-victim-if-it/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [There's some criminals that wear badges. Guess what? There's some criminals that work in the media. There's some criminals that are football coaches. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dabo-swinney/there-s-some-criminals-that-wear-badges-guess-what-there-s-some/) [Dabo Swinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dabo-swinney/) > [Nobody can really compare a relationship in which the victim is 15 years old to one where she's 6. While both criminal, they're very different circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/nobody-can-really-compare-a-relationship-in-which-the-victim-is-15/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [Humanity is not perfect in any fashion; no more in the case of evil than in that of good. The criminal has his virtues,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-choderlos-de-laclos/humanity-is-not-perfect-in-any-fashion-no-more-in-the-case-of-evil/) [Pierre Choderlos de Laclos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-choderlos-de-laclos/) > [“criminals were all derived from the same ethnicity – scumbag”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-h-thomson/criminals-were-all-derived-from-the-same-ethnicity-scumbag/) [L.H. Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-h-thomson/) > [New Orleans food is as delicious as the less criminal forms of sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/new-orleans-food-is-as-delicious-as-the-less-criminal-forms-of-sin/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals. He has the nerve and he has the knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/when-a-doctor-does-go-wrong-he-is-the-first-of-criminals-he-has-the/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [Sometimes the law defends plunder and participates in it. Sometimes the law places the whole apparatus of judges, police, prisons and gendarmes at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/sometimes-the-law-defends-plunder-and-participates-in-it-sometimes/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [War should be made a crime, and those who instigate it should be punished as criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-evans-hughes/war-should-be-made-a-crime-and-those-who-instigate-it-should-be/) [Charles Evans Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-evans-hughes/) [Browse all 1,886 Criminals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have also been saddened, though hardly surprised, by the weakness of the EU's reaction to the criminal attack on the Danish embassy in Syria, which seems to have been permitted, if not actively encouraged, by the Syrian regime.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Timothy Garton Ash" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/i-have-also-been-saddened-though-hardly-surprised-by-the-weakness-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Criminals" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/i-have-also-been-saddened-though-hardly-surprised-by-the-weakness-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/timothy-garton-ash-15575_criminals_i-have-also-been-saddened-though-hardly_2935832.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/timothy-garton-ash-15575_criminals_i-have-also-been-saddened-though-hardly_2935832.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/timothy-garton-ash-15575_criminals_i-have-also-been-saddened-though-hardly_2935832.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have also been saddened, though hardly surprised, by the weakness of the EU's reaction to the criminal…” — Timothy Garton Ash", "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": "Timothy Garton Ash", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have also been saddened, though...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/i-have-also-been-saddened-though-hardly-surprised-by-the-weakness-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/i-have-also-been-saddened-though-hardly-surprised-by-the-weakness-of/#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 } } ] } ```