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

I admired Margaret Thatcher - while abhorring much of what she offered - because she was so clearly a leader of huge substance. Blair was the dismal opposite. Martin Jacques

Leader Admired Blair Clearly She Because Opposite Huge Offered Thatcher Substance While Dismal Much Margaret Margaret Thatcher

Blair worshipped Thatcherism, could see little or no wrong in it, believed that that was what the country needed, thought that there was no alternative, regarded it as a legacy that had to be built on rather than rejected. Martin Jacques

Thought Country Worshipped See Rather Blair Could Had Wrong Alternative Built Legacy Than Regarded Little Believed Rejected Needed

There has always been something less than wholesome about New Labour. But Blair for a long time had an easy ride. There was the whopping majority. There was the relief that the Tories were finally gone. There was the grand hyperbole. Martin Jacques

Time Ride Long Long Time Gone Finally Tories Relief Easy About Something Blair Hyperbole Had New Majority Always Were Been Than Labour Grand Less Wholesome

If the truth be told, we are a society that is dripping in racism. This is not in the least surprising. For the best part of two centuries, we British ruled the waves, controlled two-fifths of the planet, and believed it was our responsibility to bring civilisation to those who allegedly lacked it. Martin Jacques

Truth Best Racism Responsibility Society Our Waves Ruled Those Best Part Allegedly Civilisation Dripping Part Least Surprising Controlled Centuries Planet Who Believed Bring Two British

Racism always exists cheek by jowl with, inside, and alongside culture and class. As a rule, it is inseparable from them. That is why, for example, food, language and names assume such importance in racial prejudice. Martin Jacques

With the United States in slow long-term decline, how will that affect the position of English? And where will all that leave monolingual Britain? Our political leaders like to boast about how global Britain is, but when it comes to languages, it is near the bottom of the global league, together with another island state, Japan. Martin Jacques

Together Political Will Slow State Our States About Bottom Leaders Long-Term League Like Global Another Island How Leave Affect Political Leaders Where Japan Boast Decline Languages English United Near United States Britain Position

It is much easier to learn another language when you are young, enthusiastic and unembarrassed. Martin Jacques

You Language Young Easier Enthusiastic Learn Another Much

In 1975, the Americans suffered a spectacular military defeat at the hands of North Vietnam and the Vietcong, with U.S. helicopters seeking to rescue leading U.S. personnel from the tops of buildings as Vietnamese guerrillas closed in on the centre of Saigon. Martin Jacques

Closed Military Defeat Tops Seeking Leading Buildings North American Hands North Vietnam Centre Personnel Vietnam Helicopters Vietnamese Rescue Suffered Spectacular

Although one of the key justifications for the Vietnam war was to prevent the spread of communism, the U.S. defeat was to produce nothing of the kind: apart from the fact that Cambodia and Laos became embroiled, the effects were essentially confined to Vietnam. Martin Jacques

The U.S. might enjoy overwhelming military advantage, but its relative economic power, which in the long run is almost invariably decisive, is in decline. The interregnum after the Cold War, far from being the prelude to a new American age, was bearing the signs of what is now very visible: the emergence of a multipolar world. Martin Jacques

War Age World Signs Long Power Overwhelming Military Enjoy Cold Cold War Relative Visible Run Emergence Invariably Economic Bearing Long Run Economic Power Advantage Almost New Very American Being After Which Decisive Might Decline Far Prelude Now

An increasingly multipolar world requires an entirely different kind of U.S. foreign policy: far from being unilateralist, it necessitates a complex form of power-sharing on both a global and regional basis. Martin Jacques

World Increasingly Complex Kind Entirely Both Global Policy Foreign Foreign Policy Being Different Form Regional Different Kind Far Requires Basis

One of the extraordinary features of the Blair government has been its slavish support for the central tenets of Bush's foreign policy - above all, the war in Iraq. During the Cold War, the Wilson government resisted the suggestion that it should send troops to Vietnam. Martin Jacques

War Government Cold Cold War Extraordinary Has-Been Wilson Above Blair Troops Features Support Policy Foreign Foreign Policy Been Iraq Send Central Bush Vietnam Should Resisted Suggestion Slavish

Labour was always aligned with the U.S. during the Cold War, but the ignominious implosion of communism reinforced the belief that no alternative to the prevailing common sense was possible. Martin Jacques

War Communism Sense Cold Cold War Aligned Possible Prevailing Alternative Always Labour Common Common Sense Belief Reinforced

My guess is that good and bad parenting is spread fairly evenly across different social groups. But can you imagine Tony Blair lecturing the middle class on how to bring up their children? He is far more comfortable as a latter-day exponent of the Poor Law mentality. Martin Jacques

Good Parenting You Class Law Tony Blair Guess Bad More Blair Mentality He Fairly Comfortable How Spread Lecturing Up Middle Children Different Middle Class Social Poor Far Good And Bad Across Groups Bring Imagine Tony

In my experience (I am the lone father of an eight-year-old boy who lost his mother when he was one year old), parenting is the most difficult of all jobs: forget your chief executives, editors, prime ministers and the like - parenting is far more challenging. Martin Jacques

Parenting Experience Mother Old Father Year Lost Difficult Jobs Ministers Lone More He Prime Prime Ministers Like Most Executives Boy Am Editors Year-Old His Chief Forget Far Your Who Challenging

After the Meiji restoration in 1868, Japan adopted an expansionist and colonial attitude towards its neighbours. It sought to identify itself with the West and looked down upon the Asian continent as backward and inferior. For most of the next 70 years, Japan was at war, mainly with its neighbours. Martin Jacques

Attitude War Down Backward Neighbours Restoration Adopted Colonial Mainly Towards Most Looked Identify Sought Continent West Years Itself Inferior After Japan Asian Next

We all know what is meant by the term 'international community,' don't we? It's the West, of course, nothing more, nothing less. Using the term 'international community' is a way of dignifying the West, of globalising it, of making it sound more respectable, more neutral and high-faluting. Martin Jacques

Nothing Community Respectable Way More Neutral Term Know Course Making Sound West Meant Less International International Community Using

In the aftermath of 9/11 and in the build-up to the invasion of Iraq, few questioned the idea that the United States was likely to be the extant superpower for several decades to come. Few anticipated how quickly the neoconservative project would run into the sands - or that China would rise so quickly. Martin Jacques

Few Project Several States Run Would Rise Invasion Superpower Idea Come Likely Build-Up How Iraq Questioned Anticipated Quickly Decades Aftermath China Sands United United States

Globalisation has obliterated distance, not just physically but also, most dangerously, mentally. It creates the illusion of intimacy when, in fact, the mental distances have changed little. It has concertinaed the world without engendering the necessary respect, recognition and tolerance that must accompany it. Martin Jacques

Respect World Illusion Tolerance Changed Distance Distances Intimacy Dangerously Recognition Must Mental Physically Mentally Fact Most Also Globalisation Without Accompany Just In Fact Little Creates Necessary

Always beware your moment of triumphalism: such emotions are a poor steer on the future. Martin Jacques

Future Emotions Steer Beware Always Poor Your Moment

There is a profound hypocrisy - and deep historical ignorance - when Europeans complain about the problems posed by the ethnic and religious minorities in their midst, for that is exactly what European colonial rule meant for peoples around the world. Martin Jacques

Ignorance People World Problems Hypocrisy Complain Rule Religious Exactly Minorities Exactly What About Colonial Around Historical Midst Ethnic Meant European Deep Europeans Profound

When Europe dominated, there were no or few feedback loops. Or, to put it another way, there were few, if any, consequences for its behaviour towards the non-western world: relations were simply too unequal. Martin Jacques

World Feedback Few Consequences Too Relations Way Put Simply Towards Another Loops Another Way Were Dominated Unequal Any Behaviour Europe

The reason why China forecasting has such a poor track record is that Westerners constantly invoke the model and experience of the West to explain China, and it is a false prophet. Until we start trying to understand China on its own terms, rather than as a Western-style nation in the making, we will continue to get it wrong. Martin Jacques

Experience Will Nation Own Constantly Record Rather Prophet Wrong Invoke Until Terms Track Track Record Forecasting Understand Making Continue West False Than Model Get Trying China Explain Poor Reason Why Start

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