At times when people fear death, they go along with measures that they believe, rightly or wrongly, will save them - even if that means a loss of freedom. Such measures have been popular in the past.
Anne ApplebaumRead
Clearly, the qualities Poles admire in a secretary of state - foreign languages, diplomatic experience, even sense of humor - are emphatically not those desired in a head of state: So be it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The traits valued in diplomatic roles differ significantly from those needed for national leadership.
Anne Applebaum emphasizes the distinct skill sets required for different political positions, highlighting that while qualities such as foreign language proficiency and diplomatic experience are admired in a secretary of state, they are not the same traits people seek in a head of state. This distinction suggests that effective leadership may demand a different kind of charisma, decisiveness, and public engagement.
Themes
LeadershipPoliticsDiplomacyQualitiesTraits
In practice
Example use cases
During a political debate, to illustrate the importance of different skills in leadership roles.
More from Anne Applebaum
All quotes →Birtherism surely increased Americans' distrust of politics, though in ways that are hard to pin down. By contrast, when anti-vaxxers persuade parents not to vaccinate children, the result can be sickness and even death.
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Quite a lot has been written, including by me, about the effect of social media on politics, and in particular the way in which the algorithms built into Facebook and YouTube are more likely to spread angry, extremist and deliberately provocative political language.
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As a journalist, I know what it is like to incur the self-righteous wrath of people who denounce you for things you didn't say or didn't mean.
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If we can't have a public debate because the information space is so polluted, or because people are afraid of the reactions of organized trolls, then we can't really have meaningful elections anymore, either.
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Elections are always a Rorschach test - people look at the results and see what they want to see.
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