"What is more important is that these are not separate or distinct threats. When we scratch the surface, we find them closely connected and interrelated. We are 1,000 people here today in this august hall. Imagine for a moment that we represent the world's population. These 200 people on my left would be the wealthy of the world, who consume 80 per cent of the available resources. And these 400 people on my right would be living on an income of less than $2 per day. This underprivileged group of people on my right is no less intelligent or less worthy than their fellow human beings on the other side of the aisle. They were simply born into this fate. In the real world, this imbalance in living conditions inevitably leads to inequality of opportunity, and in many cases loss of hope. And what is worse, all too often the plight of the poor is compounded by and results in human rights abuses, a lack of good governance, and a deep sense of injustice. This combination naturally creates a most fertile breeding ground for civil wars, organized crime, and extremism in its different forms. In regions where conflicts have been left to fester for decades, countries continue to look for ways to offset their insecurities or project their 'power'. In some cases, they may be tempted to seek their own weapons of mass destruction, like others who have preceded them."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mohamed_ElBaradei
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Mohamed ElBaradei
36 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Mohamed ElBaradei →
Related Quotes
"My father taught me that you have to stand by your principles. He was president of the bar association and was preach…"
"Unilateral preemption should not in any way be the model for how we conduct international relations... [It] brings us…"
"I think we need to continue working hard on developing a nuclear weapons free zone in the Middle East... unfortunatel…"
"You remember that book called All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten? … Well that's very much true. I fi…"
"I very much believe that we share the same human values... If you scan through all the religions — monotheistic and o…"
"I think the ultimate sense of security will be when we come to recognize that we are all part of one human race. Our …"
"Nuclear proliferation is on the rise. Equipment, material and training were once largely inaccessible. Today, however…"
"A fundamental part of the non-proliferation bargain is the commitment of the five nuclear States recognized under the…"
"We must abandon the unworkable notion that it is morally reprehensible for some countries to pursue weapons of mass d…"
"Israel is the number one rogue state threat to Middle Eastern peace with its nuclear arms and acts of outright aggres…"