«Punish France, ignore Germany and forgive Russia»
        Nasjonal tryggleiksrådgjevar, no utanriksminister i USA, Condoleezza Rice, våren 2003. Visstnok svaret når ho vart spurt av allierte om kva som ville vere USA sin politikk mot land som arbeida for å danne ein internasjonal koalisjon mot å ende Saddam Husseins einevelde.

«The confrontation between America and Europe reveals not so much a rapprochement as a distortion, an unbridgeable rift. There isn’t just a gap between us, but a whole chasm of modernity… «
        Jean Baudrillard (f. 1929), fransk semiologist. «Astral America», 1986. Dette er det som kvalifiserer som filosofi i Frankrike, hihi.
«I’ve come to think of Europe as a hardcover book, America as the paperback version.»
        Don Delillo (f. 1926), amerikansk forfattar. Uttalt av Owen Brademas, i «The Names», 1982.    
«The entry first of Great Britain and then of the other states will completely change the series of adjustments, agreements, compensations and regulations already established, between the Six… the cohesion of its members would not hold for long and in the end there would appear a colossal Atlantic Community under American dependence and leadership, which would soon swallow up the European Community. That is not at all what France wanted to do and what France is doing, which is strictly a European construction.»
        Charles de Gaulle, president i Frankrike 1959 – 1969. Delar av grunngjevinga for å legge ned veto mot britisk medlemskap i EEC i 1963. Klart nok – hans fotballbane, han plukkar spelarane.»It’s a complex fate, being an American, and one of the responsibilities it entails is fighting against a superstitious valuation of Europe.»
        Henry James (1843-1916), forfattar. Brev til redaktøren Charles Eliot Norton, 4. februar 1872.        «I know too that it is a maxim with us, and I think it a wise one, not to entangle ourselves with the affairs of Europe.»
        Thomas Jefferson, amerikansk president. Brev, 21. desember 1787.      «In Europe, charters of liberty have been granted by Power. In America … charters of power [are] granted by liberty.»
        James Madison (1751-1836), amerikansk president 1809-1817. ‘Charters’, 8. januar 1792.        «Germany and France represent ‘old Europe’. But you look at vast numbers of other countries in Europe. They’re not with France and Germany on this, they’re with the United States. And NATO’s expansion in recent years means the center of gravity is shifting to the east.»
        Donald Rumsfeld, amerikansk forsvarsminister. 22. januar 2003, pressekonferanse i Washington.»For a significant chunk of the British establishment and for most of the governing class on the Continent, if it’s a choice between an American-led West or no West at all they’ll take the latter.»
        Mark Steyn, synser og skribent. Telegraph, 30. desember 2003. Ingen overdriving?»My policy has been … to be upon friendly terms with, but independent of, all the nations of the earth. To share in the broils of none.»
        George Washington, amerikansk president. Brev, 1795.  «My ardent desire is … to keep the United States free from political connexions with every other Country. To see that they may be independent of all, and under the influence of none.»
        George Washington, amerikansk president. Brev, 1795