“You know, if I were an - if I were a Taliban, I'd say, 'What did al-Qaida ever do for me except get me kicked out of Afghanistan?'” IfsKnowsAlsAfghanistanTaliban Author:Robert M. Gates
“Every time we have come to the end of a conflict, somehow we have persuaded ourselves that the nature of mankind and the nature of the world have changed on an enduring basis and so we have dismantle our military and intelligence capabilities. My hope is that as we wind down in Iraq and whatever the level of our commitment in Afghanistan, that we not forget the basic nature of humankind has not changed.” WorldEndsForgetLevelsMankindMilitaryChangedWindConflictCommitmentBasesEndureIraqAfghanistanCapabilityHumankindNature Of Man Author:Robert M. Gates
“Soviet foreign ministers would come in to see the president all the time, routinely. Jimmy Carter stopped that after the invasion of Afghanistan. Ronald Reagan resumed it in 1984, I think. And so the fact of a meeting like that I think is not that big a deal.” ThinkingPresidentMeetingsAfghanistanSovietJimmy Author:Robert M. Gates
“If there's ever an example that military power alone cannot be successful in Afghanistan, I think it was the Soviet experience.” IfsThinkingSuccessfulMilitaryExampleBeing SuccessfulAfghanistanSovietMilitary Power Author:Robert M. Gates
“If Iraq and Afghanistan have taught us anything in recent history, it is the unpredictability of war and that these things are easier to get into than to get out of, and, frankly, the facile way in which too many people talk about, 'Well, let's just go attack them.” PeopleIfsWayWellsWarTaughtEasierIraqAfghanistanTaught UsUnpredictability Author:Robert M. Gates
