A Quote by Henry A. Kissinger

From a geo-strategic point of view, I consider Iran a bigger problem than the Islamic State. ISIS is a group of adventurers with a very aggressive ideology. But they have to conquer more and more territory before they can became a geo-strategic, permanent reality. I think a conflict with ISIS - important as it is - is more manageable than a confrontation with Iran.

Henry A. Kissinger

Quote Topics

Aggressive Became Before Bigger Conflict Confrontation Conquer Consider Group Ideology Important Iran Isis Islamic Islamic State Manageable More More And More Permanent Point Point Of View Problem Reality State Strategic Territory Than Think Very View

Quote Author

Henry A. Kissinger
Born: May 27, 1923

I consider ISIS nothing more than an excuse for Iran to continue its mischief.

Jim Mattis

Yes, ISIS is a threat. It's more than a nuisance. It's also in many respects criminal violence. But it isn't, in my view, a central strategic issue facing humanity.

Zbigniew Brzezinski

I think if you could remove all of the baggage - all of the ideology, the history, whatever else - and look in purely geostrategic terms, I think it's hard to figure out why the US and Iran would necessarily be in conflict. In fact during the shah's era, before 1979 - recognizing that there were all kinds of other problems - the US and Iran worked together splendidly at the strategic level.

Kenneth M. Pollack

I believe that the idea of strategic beliefs may be more important than strategic planning when thinking about how you keep the long view.

Ginni Rometty

We don't have polls from the business world, but it's pretty clear that the energy corporations in America would be quite happy to be given authorization to go back into Iran instead of leaving all that to their rivals. But the state won't allow it. And it is setting up confrontations right now, very explicitly. Part of the reason is strategic, geo-political, economic, but part of the reason is the mafia complex. They have to be punished for disobeying us.

Noam Chomsky

I think the Sino-American relationship is the most important geo-strategic question facing us.

Michael Hayden

What is the one country in the Middle East that has not been attacked by ISIS? One. That is Iran. That is more than happenstance, I'm sure.

Jim Mattis

China and Germany are important geo-economic powers that have been able to bolster their geo-political and even military power, thanks to the opportunity provided by their geo-economic rise.

Sanjaya Baru

Donald Trump is, in effect, the Recruiter-in-Chief for ISIS. ISIS wants nothing more right now than to have the world divided into Judeo-Christian on one side and the Islamic world on the other. That's exactly what Trump is doing for them. I think it's time we start with thinking about what ISIS wants and then not doing it.

Ted Koppel

Turkey is viewed as a very modern country and a great place to go and visit and yet Islamic as well. Iran is in some ways like that... with the difference that Iran is probably more influential than Turkey in affairs that are of interest to us.

Hooman Majd

I think we have to knock out ISIS. Right now Syria is fighting ISIS. We have people who want to fight both at the same time. But Syria is no longer Syria; Syria is Russia and Iran, who she made strong, and Kerry and Obama made into a very powerful nation and very rich nation very, very quickly. Very, very quickly. I believe we have to get ISIS.

Donald Trump

Iran is not an enemy of ISIS; they have a lot to gain from the turmoil that ISIS creates.

Jim Mattis

We have to do one thing at a time. We can't be fighting ISIS and fighting [Bashar]Assad. Assad is fighting ISIS. He is fighting ISIS. Russia is fighting now ISIS. And Iran is fighting ISIS.

Donald Trump

I don't like Assad at all, but Assad is killing ISIS. Russia is killing ISIS. And Iran is killing ISIS. And those three have now lined up because of our weak foreign policy.

Donald Trump

Don’t be fooled. The battle between Iran and ISIS doesn’t turn Iran into a friend of America.