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But if Russia is to be part of this larger zone of peace it cannot bring into it its imperial baggage. It cannot bring into it a policy of genocide against the Chechens, and cannot kill journalists, and it cannot repress the mass media.
Zbigniew Brzezinski
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Russia must shed its oppressive past to contribute to global peace.

This quote emphasizes that Russia's involvement in fostering a peaceful international environment is contingent upon its willingness to abandon harmful and imperialistic practices, such as human rights violations and repression of free speech. Without addressing these serious issues, Russia cannot genuinely integrate into a peaceful world community.

Themes

RussiaPeaceImperialismHuman RightsJournalism

In practice

Example use cases

During a discussion on international relations, this quote can highlight the need for accountability in powerful nations.

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Regret what? That secret operation was an excellent idea. It had the effect of drawing the Russians into the Afghan trap and you want me to regret it? The day that the Soviets officially crossed the border, I wrote to President Carter. We now have the opportunity of giving to the USSR its Vietnam war. Indeed, for almost 10 years, Moscow had to carry on a war unsupportable by the government, a conflict that brought about the demoralization and finally the breakup of the Soviet empire.
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Iraq may have been a preview of that, but it's still redeemable if we get out fast. In a war with Iran, we'll get dragged down for 20 or 30 years. The world will condemn us. We will lose our position in the world.
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The congressional role in declaring war is especially important not when the United States is the victim of an attack, but when the United States is planning to wage war abroad.
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There may be circumstances in which damaging our relationship with countries over human rights is counterproductive and the benefits to human rights may be very small because of our limited capacity to enforce our stance. That was the dilemma the United States faced after Tiananmen Square.
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