Bashar al Assad

Armies are not only for offensives.

The most significant indicator that there is no disaster in Iraq is the fact that there is no exodus.

None of us and none of the Arabs trust Israel.

We believe that Lebanon has been the first real experience for all the Arabs.

Since its very inception, Israel has been a threat.

Israel does not care about the international public opinion.

The point in the report is that you shouldn’t say to somebody just because they’re Jewish, you must have an opinion on Israel. Any more than you say to anyone who is a Muslim you must have an opinion on any vile action that’s been taken by misquoting the good name of Islam. I just ask people to be respectful and inclusive in their debate.

Stalin is the most popular figure in all of Russia.

The Chechnya problem is a centuries-old problem. The thing is that today, fundamentalists and terrorists are exploiting those centuries-old problems to accomplish their own objectives that have nothing to do whatsoever with the interests of Chechnya.

I have the greatest supporters in the world. By the way they’re the smartest, they’re the hardest working, they pay taxes.

The reason why there is now no communist government in Paris is because in the circumstances of 1945 the Soviet army was not able to reach French soil.

I hope my own children never have to fight a war.

Under my administration anyone who illegally crosses the border will be detained until they are removed out of our country and back to the country from which they came.

The difference between a democracy and a dictatorship is that in a democracy you vote first and take orders later; in a dictatorship you don’t have to waste your time voting.

I believe that the presidential term should be limited.

In the 20th century, the Soviet Union made the state’s role absolute. In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive. This lesson cost us dearly. I am sure nobody wants to see it repeated.

…most of the world’s fossil-fuel reserves must remain in the ground if an environmental disaster for humankind is to be averted, but under the logic of state-supported capitalist institutions, the private owners of those reserves are racing to exploit them to the fullest.

I never attacked Rand Paul on his looks, and believe me, there’s plenty of subject matter right there.

A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing.

Legal aid is fundamentally important in a democratic, civilised society.

Under the worst conditions, horrendous conditions, people still, you know, fight for their rights and don’t just succumb.