50 Martin Jacques Quotes for You to Enjoy

Martin Jacques

British Journalist

Born: 1945

Been China Power War Will World

Related authors: Alastair Campbell Caitlin Moran David Attenborough Malcolm Muggeridge Martin Bashir Nigella Lawson Rose George Tony Wilson

When I am back in old Blighty, I am surrounded by the old and familiar concerns: New Labour, Europe, the Middle East and the rest. If you live in Britain, you will know what I mean - except you won't, because you will take it for granted that this is what the world is all about. Martin Jacques

You World Old Will Rest Live Back East About Except Take New Know Concerns Because Am Surrounded Familiar Labour Middle Middle East Mean Granted Europe Britain

If the Age of Sport has been all champagne and roses hitherto, then expect our love affair with its newly-acquired prominence to become increasingly tainted by scandals about cheating. Sport is losing its shine and allure. Martin Jacques

Love Age Losing Cheating Become Shine Increasingly Our Our Love Prominence Has-Been Scandals About Tainted Allure Sport Affair Been Expect Hitherto Love Affair Then Roses Champagne

The era when the United States was the dominant global power is steadily coming to an end, and it must find a way of acknowledging this and framing its ambitions and interests accordingly. Instead of claiming the right to continuing primacy in east Asia, for example, it should seek to share that primacy with China. Martin Jacques

Example Power Ambition Framing Way States Claiming East East Asia Must Find Seek Steadily Share Primacy Instead Global For Example Era Coming Continuing End Accordingly Dominant Acknowledging China Asia Interests Should United United States Right

Never underestimate the ability of political leaders to misread history on a monumental scale. The invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan have both served to hasten western decline: they have both failed to achieve their objectives and in the process demonstrated an underlying western impotence. Martin Jacques

History Political Achieve Monumental Scale Hasten Ability Objectives Both Never Leaders Failed Never Underestimate Underestimate Underlying Impotence Iraq Western Political Leaders Afghanistan Process Decline Served

The world is fortunate - for the time being, at least - that it has an American president in Obama who is prepared to take a conciliatory and concessive attitude towards America's decline and that it has a Chinese leadership which has been extremely cautious about expressing an opinion, let alone flexing its muscles. Martin Jacques

Attitude Alone Time Leadership World President Extremely Has-Been Obama About Take Towards Opinion Least Been Cautious America American Being Which Chinese Decline American President Fortunate Who Prepared Expressing Muscles

Koizumi was not rooted in Japan's rightwing nationalist tradition: he was a pragmatist and a populist. Abe, in contrast, is a rightwing nationalist. Unlike Koizumi, for example, he has questioned the validity of the postwar Tokyo trials of Japan's wartime leaders, which found many of them guilty of war crimes. Martin Jacques

War Trials Example Crimes Unlike Validity Guilty Abe Postwar He Leaders For Example Tradition Questioned Contrast Nationalist Which Japan Them Rooted Tokyo Wartime Many Populist Found

The Chinese view the state, not just as an intimate member of the family... but as the head of the family. Martin Jacques

Family State Intimate Member Head Just Chinese View

Our ascendancy of the past two centuries - first Europe and then the U.S. - has bred a western-centric mentality: the West is the fount of all wisdom. We think of ourselves as open-minded, but our sense of superiority has closed our minds. We never entertained the idea that China could surpass the U.S. Martin Jacques

Wisdom First Past Closed Sense Think Our Minds Ourselves Entertained Superiority Mentality Could Never Idea Open-Minded Surpass West Ascendancy China Centuries Then Bred Europe Two

There are a host of ethnic minorities in China, but they often have a weak sense of identity and are relatively small in total number. History has taught the Han that other groups will and should ultimately be absorbed and assimilated as Han. There is a belief that the Han enjoy a superior and far more advanced culture. Martin Jacques

History Culture Will Superior Sense Enjoy Other Relatively Weak Minorities Total More Small Host Absorb Advanced Identity Ultimately Often Taught China Far Ethnic Should Groups Belief Assimilated Number

China has existed within very roughly its present borders for over two millennia and for virtually the whole of that period saw itself as a 'civilisation state.' It was only when it was too weak to resist the western powers in the early 20th century that it finally acquiesced in an arrangement that was alien to it. Martin Jacques

Alien Too State Virtually Saw Finally Weak Borders Only Civilisation Over Period Powers Within Arrangement Existed Western Itself Very China Century Whole Roughly Millennia Present Early Resist Two

The Chinese state is constructed in an entirely different way from western states. Unlike European states, for over a millennium the Chinese state has not been obliged to compete for power with rivals such as the church, the aristocracy or merchants. Martin Jacques

Marx and Engels are arguably history's most famous couple. Such was the closeness of their collaboration that it is not always easy to recall which works bore both names, which just that of Marx, and which just Engels. Martin Jacques

History Collaboration Easy Bore Both Arguably Marx Names Most Couple Always Closeness Just Famous Which Works Recall

Every major power always seeks to justify its action on moral grounds. Such behaviour is almost as old as the hills. The west has been a particularly vigorous exponent of this credo; and there is no reason to believe that China, for example, will be any different. But behind the moral rhetoric invariably lies interest and ideology. Martin Jacques

Old Will Example Power Ideology Action Believe Every Has-Been Moral Lies Seeks Invariably No Reason Almost Major For Example Particularly Hills Always Been West Any Behaviour Behind Different Rhetoric China Interest Justify Reason Grounds Vigorous

While the West has enjoyed overwhelming global power, its moral preachings have been legitimised, and in effect enforced, by that power. But as that power begins to ebb, then the morality of its actions will be the subject of growing scrutiny and challenge. Martin Jacques

Challenge Will Power Overwhelming Moral Morality Global Been West Subject Effect Begins While Scrutiny Then Enforced Actions Growing Enjoyed

The election of the nationalist Chen Shui-bian as president in 2000 and his re-election in 2004 was a nadir in the relationship between Taiwan and the mainland. Martin Jacques

Relationship Election President Taiwan Nadir Between Re-Election His Nationalist

Already 2008 has proved a tumultuous year in terms of global perceptions of China, and there are still 59 days to go until the Beijing Olympics. The tragedy of the Sichuan earthquake followed hard on the heels of the riots in Tibet and the demonstrations surrounding the Olympic torch relay. Martin Jacques

Year Earthquake Relay Torch Riots Followed Perceptions Tibet Days Global Until Terms Still Proved Demonstrations Go Tragedy Surrounding Beijing Tumultuous China Heels Hard Olympic Olympics

If one wanted to find a modern symbol of personal freedom, the motor car is right there near the top of the list. But a car has come to mean much more than that. It has become a powerful statement about who you are and how much you earn. Martin Jacques

Freedom You Car Become Earn Top Statement Find About More Powerful Come How How Much Motor Motor Car Than Personal List Modern Personal Freedom Wanted Mean Much Who Near Right Symbol

One of the characteristics of New Labour - and Miliband is irredeemably of that species - is that, in the guise of a new liberal language, it has adopted the age-old default mode of British foreign policy, namely military intervention. Martin Jacques

Language Military Liberal Intervention Characteristics Guise Adopted New Namely Policy Foreign Foreign Policy Mode Labour Age-Old Species Default British

Western countries are thoroughly accustomed to being the centre of global attention, which they have come to regard as their natural birthright. Not so China. It was thwarted in its attempt to hold the 2000 Olympics, which, as a result of American-led pressure, was awarded to Sydney. Martin Jacques

Natural Result Pressure Birthright Thoroughly Attempt Attention Thwarted Countries Come Global Western Western Countries Accustomed Being Hold Regard Which China Centre Awarded Sydney Olympics

Fundamental systemic crises are often associated with the decline of the dominant imperial power and its increasing inability to sustain the system over which it had previously presided. The profound instability of the interwar period owed much to Britain's inability to maintain its role. Martin Jacques

Power Increasing Crises System Systemic Imperial Instability Had Maintain Over Period Dominant Role Owed Often Sustain Which Inability Decline Much Fundamental Profound Britain Associated

The move towards neoliberalism in Britain was intimately bound up with the embrace of the U.S. as the country to be aped and copied. Martin Jacques

Country Embrace Bound Towards Up Move Copied Britain

In Formula One, the car can make a difference in a way that a driver cannot. Whereas Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna spent their early seasons in second-rate machinery, Hamilton walked into the equal best car on the grid. His first season none the less has, by any standards, been extraordinary. Martin Jacques

Best Car First Second-Rate Extraordinary Way Spent Machinery Driver Equal Make Make A Difference Schumacher None Hamilton Been His Michael Walked Any Difference Whereas Grid Cannot Formula Formula One Less Standards Season Seasons Early

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