Michael Mandelbaum States Quotations

Let me remind you all that the first task of American foreign policy is to reduce threats to the United States.

The United States will continue to be number one, and I do not see any country or group of countries taking the United States' place in providing global public goods that underpin security and prosperity. The United States functions as the world's de facto government.

The United States plays, for the most part, a constructive global role, and to the extent that that role shrinks, other countries, even those most critical of what America does abroad, will suffer.

The United States doesn't do what it does in the world for altruistic reasons. Nobody set out to be the world's government.

The United States contributes to peace in both by serving as a buffer between and among regional powers that, while not preparing for armed conflict, do not fully trust one another.