22 Quotes & Sayings By Elliott Abrams

Elliott Abrams was born in New York City in 1952 and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He attended the University of Kansas and Harvard Law School, and wrote a dissertation on international human rights law. He served as senior director for Near East and South Asian affairs on the National Security Council in the Reagan administration and as assistant secretary of state for human rights and humanitarian affairs in the George H. W. Bush administration Read more

He is currently a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the board of directors of KKR Global LLC, a board member of Chevron Corporation, a director of MeadWestvaco Corporation, a director of Invesco Ltd., a director of First Reserve Corporation, a member of the advisory council for the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, and a member of the advisory council for Global Zero Inc.

1
Al Qaeda's message that violence, terrorism and extremism are the only answer for Arabs seeking dignity and hope is being rejected each day in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain and throughout the Arab lands. Elliott Abrams
2
The war on drugs is not being won, and it continues to threaten stability and democracy not only in the Andes but throughout the Caribbean as well, where tiny police and military forces are outclassed by the sophisticated equipment in the hands of traffickers passing through the region on the way to their market in this country. Elliott Abrams
3
The failure to set standards for Palestinian conduct hurts the cause of peace. Elliott Abrams
4
In Arab capitals, the failure of the United States to stop Iran's nuclear program is understood as American weakness in the struggle for dominance in the Middle East, making additional cooperation from Arab leaders on Israeli-Palestinian issues even less likely. Elliott Abrams
5
You are not practicing Judaism if you celebrate Christmas. Elliott Abrams
6
I grew up in Queens, in New York City, in a middle class Jewish family. My mother was a public school teacher, my father was a lawyer. They were Democrats - kind of middle-of-the-road democrats. Elliott Abrams
7
The Obama administration appears to regard intelligence leaks and briefings more or less like briefings by the Democratic National Committee or White House flack Jay Carney. You use any information at hand, classified or not, and you spin it any way you like, fairly or not. Elliott Abrams
8
What does 'politicizing intelligence' mean? Using intel, or more often, partial intel, to produce an effect in line with White House policies rather than giving a full picture of a particular situation. Elliott Abrams
9
In the spring of 2007, Israeli intelligence brought to Washington proof that the Assad regime in Syria was building a nuclear reactor along the Euphrates - with North Korean help. This reactor was a copy of the Yongbyon reactor the North Koreans had built, and was part of a Syrian nuclear weapons program. Elliott Abrams
10
Harry Truman, who was a Bible-believing Christian Zionist, defied the secretary of state he so admired, George C. Marshall, and won a place in Israel's history by recognizing the new state 11 minutes after it declared its independence in 1948. Elliott Abrams
11
In Iran, there is no freedom of the press, no freedom of speech, no independent judiciary, no free elections. There is no freedom of religion - not even for Shiites, who are forced by Iran's theocracy to adhere to one narrow set of official rules. Elliott Abrams
12
The intersection of religion and world politics has often been a bloody crossroads. Elliott Abrams
13
The fake republics are goners the monarchies have a fighting chance. That's my conclusion after a short visit to the Middle East and discussions with officials and analysts there. Elliott Abrams
14
As the Palestinian leadership never seems to pay any penalty for its words, America's seriousness about the peace process is in doubt. Elliott Abrams
15
The courage of the Syrian protesters is remarkable, for they face prison, torture, or death every time they lift a banner. Elliott Abrams
16
Even today, when the Obama administration has liberalized travel to Cuba - and failed to reverse that liberalization when Alan Gross was imprisoned - there are limits. Elliott Abrams
17
The Egyptian military plays positive and negative roles in Egypt, but the most significant single thing it did under Mubarak was to guarantee an Islamist victory once he left the scene. Elliott Abrams
18
The debate over same sex 'marriage' has engaged the heartfelt feelings and convictions of millions of Americans. Elliott Abrams
19
The anchors of the Arab consensus have long been Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and both are now weakened forces in Arab politics and diplomacy. Elliott Abrams
20
Peace in the Middle East has been on the Obama administration's mind from the beginning. Two days after his inauguration, the president traveled to the State Department to announce the appointment of George Mitchell as his Middle East peace negotiator. Elliott Abrams
21
If you say to the White House, 'Obama has been very unfriendly to Israel, ' they say, 'What do you mean? It's the best military-to-military relationship ever.' And that part is true. Elliott Abrams