--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One difference between French appeasement…" description: "\"One difference between French appeasement and American appeasement is that France pays ransom in cash and gets its hostages back while the United State..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/william-safire-5116_appeasement_one-difference-between-french-appeasemen_2171721.jpg" --- # One difference between French appeasement and American… ![“One difference between French appeasement and American appeasement is that France pays ransom in cash and gets its hostages back while the United States pays ransom in arms and gets additional hostages taken.” quote by William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/william-safire-5116_appeasement_one-difference-between-french-appeasemen_2171721.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/william-safire-5116_appeasement_one-difference-between-french-appeasemen_2171721.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/william-safire-5116_appeasement_one-difference-between-french-appeasemen_2171721.jpg) > “One difference between French appeasement and American appeasement is that France pays ransom in cash and gets its hostages back while the United States pays ransom in arms and gets additional hostages taken.” [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts French and American ransom practices, highlighting that the US trades weapons for hostages, potentially encouraging more kidnappings. **In simple terms:** US arms-for-hostage trades may increase kidnappings. Key Takeaway Avoid exchanging weapons for hostages. Themes foreign policy ethics military human rights Mood cautious critical Type political analytical When to use this quote - diplomatic negotiations - counterterrorism strategy - military aid decisions Key Concepts realpolitik moral hazard strategic tradeoffs Questions to Reflect On - How does weapon trade affect hostage dynamics? - What alternatives exist to ransom payments? A Different Perspective Risk of incentivizing further kidnappings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appeasement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appeasement/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/france/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) ## Related quotes > [If it's to be a bloodbath, let it be now. Appeasement is not the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/if-it-s-to-be-a-bloodbath-let-it-be-now-appeasement-is-not-the-answer/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Modern man has been in search of a new language of form to satisfy new longings and aspirations - longings for mental appeasement, aspirations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-read/modern-man-has-been-in-search-of-a-new-language-of-form-to-satisfy/) [Herbert Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-read/) > [Now, the United States' response, the western response to this is a continuation of the appeasement that was started back in the '50s with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-peikoff/now-the-united-states-response-the-western-response-to-this-is-a/) [Leonard Peikoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-peikoff/) > [If history teaches us anything, it teaches that simple-minded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is folly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/if-history-teaches-us-anything-it-teaches-that-simple-minded/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [You may gain temporary appeasement by a policy of concession to violence, but you do not gain lasting peace that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-eden/you-may-gain-temporary-appeasement-by-a-policy-of-concession-to/) [Anthony Eden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-eden/) > [Appeasement is a vote to live in the present tense, to hold the comforts of the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/appeasement-is-a-vote-to-live-in-the-present-tense-to-hold-the/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Ask Osama bin Laden and the 22-out-of-30 top al-Qaida leaders who've been taken off the field whether I engage in appeasement. Or whoever is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/ask-osama-bin-laden-and-the-22-out-of-30-top-al-qaida-leaders-who-ve/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [May I just single out for salutations, on the "anti-war" side: Pop Stars For Appeasement, Dancers Against Democracy, Actors For Apathy, Fashionistas For Fascism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-burchill/may-i-just-single-out-for-salutations-on-the-anti-war-side-pop-stars/) [Julie Burchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-burchill/) > [The incentive to peacemaking is love, but it degenerates into appeasement whenever justice is ignored. To forgive and to ask for forgiveness are both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/the-incentive-to-peacemaking-is-love-but-it-degenerates-into/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [There are some who, for varying reasons, would appease Red China. They are blind to history's clear lesson, for history teaches with unmistakable emphasis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/there-are-some-who-for-varying-reasons-would-appease-red-china-they/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [No man can tame a tiger into a kitten by stroking it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/no-man-can-tame-a-tiger-into-a-kitten-by-stroking-it/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [It is time to change our policy of appeasement toward the Palestinians, to strengthen our ties with the nation of Israel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/it-is-time-to-change-our-policy-of-appeasement-toward-the/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [(I)t is simply wrong to confuse cowardice with appeasement. Cowardice is a failing of character. Appeasement is a failure of policy. Stalin appeased Hitler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/i-t-is-simply-wrong-to-confuse-cowardice-with-appeasement-cowardice/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [Appeasement, said Winston Churchill, consists of being nice to a crocodile in the hope that he will eat you last. At the moment, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-naughton/appeasement-said-winston-churchill-consists-of-being-nice-to-a/) [John Naughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-naughton/) > [Art is either a complaint or appeasement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/art-is-either-a-complaint-or-appeasement/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) ## More by William Safire > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/last-but-not-least-avoid-cliches-like-the-plague/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Decide on some imperfect Somebody and you will win, because the truest truism in politics is: You can't beat Somebody with Nobody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/decide-on-some-imperfect-somebody-and-you-will-win-because-the-truest/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Knowing how things work is the basis for appreciation, and is thus a source of civilized delight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/knowing-how-things-work-is-the-basis-for-appreciation-and-is-thus-a/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [What a joy it is to see really professional media manipulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/what-a-joy-it-is-to-see-really-professional-media-manipulation/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [What do you call a co-worker these days? Neither teammate nor confederate will do, and partner is too legalistic. The answer brought from academia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/what-do-you-call-a-co-worker-these-days-neither-teammate-nor/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [This is what it's all about. From what I could see, you could get a bunch of people together, whip up the press and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/this-is-what-it-s-all-about-from-what-i-could-see-you-could-get-a/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [When I need to know the meaning of a word, I look it up in a dictionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/when-i-need-to-know-the-meaning-of-a-word-i-look-it-up-in-a-dictionary/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [A man who lies, thinking it is the truth, is an honest man, and a man who tells the truth, believing it to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/a-man-who-lies-thinking-it-is-the-truth-is-an-honest-man-and-a-man/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [The Latin motto over Poindexter's new Pentagon office reads Scientia Est Potentia - "knowledge is power." Exactly: the government's infinite knowledge about you is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-latin-motto-over-poindexter-s-new-pentagon-office-reads-scientia/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [English is a stretch language; one size fits all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/english-is-a-stretch-language-one-size-fits-all/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Today, war of necessity is used by critics of military action to describe unavoidable response to an attack like that on Pearl Harbor that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/today-war-of-necessity-is-used-by-critics-of-military-action-to/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [To communicate, put your words in order; give them a purpose; use them to persuade, to instruct, to discover, to seduce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/to-communicate-put-your-words-in-order-give-them-a-purpose-use-them/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [“Chandler’s “She was blonde enough to make a bishop kick a hole through a stained-glass window”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/chandler-s-she-was-blonde-enough-to-make-a-bishop-kick-a-hole-through/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [You don't overturn a previous court's decisions lightly and I think most Americans are somewhere in the middle on abortion and there's not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/you-don-t-overturn-a-previous-court-s-decisions-lightly-and-i-think/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) [Explore all 103 William Safire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) ## More Appeasement quotes > [If it's to be a bloodbath, let it be now. Appeasement is not the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/if-it-s-to-be-a-bloodbath-let-it-be-now-appeasement-is-not-the-answer/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Appeasement, said Winston Churchill, consists of being nice to a crocodile in the hope that he will eat you last. At the moment, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-naughton/appeasement-said-winston-churchill-consists-of-being-nice-to-a/) [John Naughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-naughton/) > [(I)t is simply wrong to confuse cowardice with appeasement. Cowardice is a failing of character. Appeasement is a failure of policy. Stalin appeased Hitler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/i-t-is-simply-wrong-to-confuse-cowardice-with-appeasement-cowardice/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [It is time to change our policy of appeasement toward the Palestinians, to strengthen our ties with the nation of Israel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/it-is-time-to-change-our-policy-of-appeasement-toward-the/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [No man can tame a tiger into a kitten by stroking it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/no-man-can-tame-a-tiger-into-a-kitten-by-stroking-it/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [There are some who, for varying reasons, would appease Red China. They are blind to history's clear lesson, for history teaches with unmistakable emphasis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/there-are-some-who-for-varying-reasons-would-appease-red-china-they/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [The incentive to peacemaking is love, but it degenerates into appeasement whenever justice is ignored. To forgive and to ask for forgiveness are both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/the-incentive-to-peacemaking-is-love-but-it-degenerates-into/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [May I just single out for salutations, on the "anti-war" side: Pop Stars For Appeasement, Dancers Against Democracy, Actors For Apathy, Fashionistas For Fascism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-burchill/may-i-just-single-out-for-salutations-on-the-anti-war-side-pop-stars/) [Julie Burchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-burchill/) > [Ask Osama bin Laden and the 22-out-of-30 top al-Qaida leaders who've been taken off the field whether I engage in appeasement. Or whoever is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/ask-osama-bin-laden-and-the-22-out-of-30-top-al-qaida-leaders-who-ve/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Appeasement is a vote to live in the present tense, to hold the comforts of the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/appeasement-is-a-vote-to-live-in-the-present-tense-to-hold-the/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [You may gain temporary appeasement by a policy of concession to violence, but you do not gain lasting peace that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-eden/you-may-gain-temporary-appeasement-by-a-policy-of-concession-to/) [Anthony Eden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-eden/) > [If history teaches us anything, it teaches that simple-minded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is folly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/if-history-teaches-us-anything-it-teaches-that-simple-minded/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Now, the United States' response, the western response to this is a continuation of the appeasement that was started back in the '50s with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-peikoff/now-the-united-states-response-the-western-response-to-this-is-a/) [Leonard Peikoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-peikoff/) > [Modern man has been in search of a new language of form to satisfy new longings and aspirations - longings for mental appeasement, aspirations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-read/modern-man-has-been-in-search-of-a-new-language-of-form-to-satisfy/) [Herbert Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-read/) > [Art is either a complaint or appeasement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/art-is-either-a-complaint-or-appeasement/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) [Browse all 72 Appeasement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appeasement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One difference between French appeasement and American appeasement is that France pays ransom in cash and gets its hostages back while the United States pays ransom in arms and gets additional hostages taken.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Safire" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/one-difference-between-french-appeasement-and-american-appeasement-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appeasement" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/one-difference-between-french-appeasement-and-american-appeasement-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/william-safire-5116_appeasement_one-difference-between-french-appeasemen_2171721.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/william-safire-5116_appeasement_one-difference-between-french-appeasemen_2171721.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/william-safire-5116_appeasement_one-difference-between-french-appeasemen_2171721.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One difference between French appeasement and American appeasement is that France pays ransom in cash and…” — William Safire", "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": "William Safire", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One difference between French appeasement and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/one-difference-between-french-appeasement-and-american-appeasement-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/one-difference-between-french-appeasement-and-american-appeasement-is/#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 } } ] } ```