Quotessence
Home / Authors / Andrew Bacevich
Andrew Bacevich

Andrew Bacevich Quotes

Political Scientist

Filter quotes by topic

AllMilitaryPolicyWarIfsMightPeoplePresidentTodayCostDiscussionEndsEventsGovernmentIraqKnowsPartyPayPersistProblemSecurity

Famous Andrew Bacevich Quotes

“Apart from a commendable determination to discomfit Trump and members of his inner circle (select military figures excepted, at least for now), journalism remains pretty much what it was prior to November 8th of last year: personalities built up only to be torn down; fads and novelties discovered, celebrated, then mocked; "extraordinary" stories of ordinary people granted 15 seconds of fame only to once again be consigned to oblivion - all served with a side dish of that day's quota of suffering, devastation, and carnage. These remain journalism's stock-in-trade.”

PeopleSufferingMilitaryPersonalityFameDeterminationExtraordinaryJournalismGrantedTornOblivionOrdinary PeopleSelectNovemberCarnageCommendable
Author:Andrew Bacevich
Create image

“The United States military is undoubtedly the world's finest. It's also far and away the most generously funded, with policymakers offering U.S. troops no shortage of opportunities to practice their craft. So why doesn't this great military ever win anything? Or put another way, why in recent decades have those forces been unable to accomplish Washington's stated wartime objectives? Why has the now 15-year-old war on terror failed to result in even a single real success anywhere in the Greater Middle East?”

WarRealOpportunityWinningMilitaryTerrorAccomplishFinestWar On Terror
Author:Andrew Bacevich
Create image

“The U.S. military today garrisons the planet in a fashion without historical precedent. Successive administrations, regardless of party, justify and perpetuate this policy by insisting that positioning U.S. forces in distant lands fosters peace, stability, and security. In the present century, however, perpetuating this practice has visibly had the opposite effect. In the eyes of many of those called upon to "host" American bases, the permanent presence of such forces smacks of occupation. They resist. Why should U.S. policymakers expect otherwise?”

EyeTodayPartySecurityMilitaryFashionPolicyHistoricalJustifyStabilityHostSmack
Author:Andrew Bacevich
Create image

“In present-day America, expressing reverence for those who serve in uniform is something akin to a religious obligation. Everyone professes to cherish America's "warriors." Yet such bountiful, if superficial, expressions of regard camouflage a growing gap between those who serve and those who applaud from the sidelines. Our present-day military system, based on the misnamed All-Volunteer Force, is neither democratic nor effective. Why has discussion and debate about its deficiencies not found a place among the nation's political priorities?”

PoliticalReligiousMilitaryDemocraticDebatePrioritiesObligationWarriorDiscussionCherishReverenceSuperficial
Author:Andrew Bacevich
Create image

“Are there any military actions that the president of the United States may not order on his own authority? If so, what are they? Bit by bit, decade by decade, Congress has abdicated its assigned role in authorizing war. Today, it merely rubberstamps what presidents decide to do (or simply stays mum). Who does this deference to an imperial presidency benefit? Have U.S. policies thereby become more prudent, enlightened, and successful?”

WarTodayActionPresidentSuccessfulMilitaryPolicyAuthorityEnlightenedMum
Author:Andrew Bacevich
Create image