Stephen M. Walt

“The remarkable thing about the 'Israel lobby' is not its existence but its effectiveness.”

“Threats are a combination of aggregate power, geographic proximity, offensive capabilities, and aggressive intentions.”

“For realists, the world is a dangerous place, and the primary responsibility of every state is to ensure its own survival.”

“States balance against threats, not just against power.”

“Nationalism remains the most powerful political ideology in the world.”

“The core of realism is the belief that international politics is a struggle for power among self-interested states.”

“Great powers are always sniffing the wind, and they worry about their survival.”

“The United States has been remarkably unsuccessful at spreading democracy by force.”

“Foreign policy is not a morality play; it is a series of choices among distasteful alternatives.”

“The essence of grand strategy is to identify the most important threats to a state's security and welfare and to devise policies to deal with them.”

“A world without U.S. primacy will be a world with more great power competition.”

“The world would be a better place if leaders paid more attention to history.”

“Alliances are a response to a common threat.”

“The Lobby's impact has been unintentionally harmful to both the United States and Israel.”

“When you have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. The United States has a very big hammer.”

“Realism is not a license for cynicism, but a call for prudence.”