Success Quote by Barbara Boxer

Boxer’s line is a neat piece of post-Cold War liberal realism: it promises moral clarity while quietly admitting that America’s brand has a credibility problem. The repetition of “by example” isn’t just rhetorical emphasis; it’s a rebuke aimed inward, a warning that democratic evangelism collapses when the messenger looks hypocritical. She sets up a ladder of legitimacy - speeches, then military power, then something harder and rarer: “the respect of the world.” That last rung reframes geopolitical influence as reputational capital, not hardware.

The intent is twofold. Outwardly, it argues for “true democracy” as a global cause, a classic American political aspiration. Inwardly, it’s a constraint on how that cause is pursued: no more relying on soaring rhetoric or force as a substitute for competent governance, human rights credibility, and alliance-building. The subtext is especially pointed for a U.S. senator speaking in an era when American interventions and unilateral postures were under intense scrutiny. “Not just with military might” doesn’t deny the military’s role; it downgrades its sufficiency. Power can topple a regime, she implies, but it can’t purchase admiration - and without admiration, “democracy promotion” reads as self-interest with better branding.

What makes the quote work is its strategic modesty. Boxer doesn’t say the U.S. should retreat; she says it should earn consent. It’s soft power framed as national discipline: behave like the democracy you’re selling, or the sales pitch turns into a punchline.