Richard Holbrooke Quotes (69 Quotes)

He was a communist opportunist and became an opportunistic nationalist. His actions led to the deaths of over 300,000 people, four wars, the instability in Europe, creation of criminal gangs ... he was never going to see daylight again and that was appropriate and now he's gone.

We are very concerned ... we are only a few days away from a tragedy of even greater dimensions. We might be on a collision course here between Yugoslavia and the Western authorities including NATO.

I am satisfied that every one of the worst-case scenarios was wrong. Total NATO deaths from hostile action in Bosnia since Dayton have been zero.

Although he won't serve out many years in jail, Milosevic paid the price by ending his life in jail.

They're having a little bit of trouble getting their political act together,

I think it's quite clear that his nationalism contributed to the wars in the Balkans,

diving off a diving board without knowing if there is any water in the pool.

The British Ambassador is coming this morning with us to Pristina for talks, representing his own government and, by extension, the whole Contact Group.

The United States and our allies and the Arab neighbors of Saddam ... must recognize that as long as Saddam Hussein remains in power he is a destabilizing factor for the entire region. He's a very dangerous man,

Dayton is a demonstration that American leadership is indispensable. But leadership means cooperation with allies and pressure on adversaries. Neither rule was followed in Iraq , with disastrous consequences.

We are at the brink. Time is short.

We are running almost a year behind schedule on the civilian parts of the Dayton agreement,

there is no change in (the American) position in the sense there is a clear disagreement between the Russian government and NATO. But that does not mean we cannot still continue close contacts.

It was a grim briefing. U.S. diplomatic observers are doing a terrific job bringing us information, and the information is not good.

We hope to make clear to president Milosevic and the people of Yugoslavia the extreme gravity of the situation,

The U.N. by contrast is sterile, overly concerned with protocol, overly formal, filled with set-piece speeches. This is what the U.N. in theory is supposed to be but can't.

We are not learning anything here that isn't in previous accounts, ... But to be in the physical presence of the events, that is different. While we are trying to forge a peace, we need to remember what brought us here.

If the two sides don't want to go to war, it is quite possible for them to avoid it through diplomacy and a little bit of good will, ... If, on the other hand, they want to go to war ... nothing we do can prevent it.

in no way infringes on sovereignty (or) authority of countries, but shows the collective will of the Security Council.