words worth remembering

[winterbadger]

“The evidence in this book suggests that the blood and wealth spent to maintain a country’s record for keeping commitments are wasted: when push comes to shove, credibility is assessed on the basis of the current interests at stake and the balance of power, not on the basis of past sacrifices. . . . Leaders understand that no two crises are sufficiently alike to be confident that past actions are a reliable guide to the future.”

Daryl Press, quoted by Fareed Zakaria in a good Washington Post article on why U.S. credibility is not on the line in Syria.