“If you are an eighteen or nineteen-year-old with little education, as is often the case, and you're put in charge of many, many people on the other end of the world, you have absolute power and you're not prepared for it.” PeopleIfsWorldYearsLittlesEndsCasesAbsolutesPreparedEnd Of The WorldEighteenNineteenAbsolute Power Author:Yaroslav Trofimov
“I did some embedded stuff. And if you are embedded, the only things you see are what the soldiers see, and if the people talk to you, they talk to you as if you are a soldier, because with your flak jacket and your helmet, they can't tell the difference between you and the soldier next to you, and they obviously won't tell you what they really think because they are afraid of you.” PeopleIfsThinkingNextStuffDifferencesSoldierJacketsEmbeddedHelmet Author:Yaroslav Trofimov
“The rules of engagement are so lax that soldiers are shooting and killing Iraqis under mere suspicion, and tragedies are everyday. There are road killings, killings on the road when someone is trying to pass a convoy and they get shot. Or if a roadside bomb goes off, the soldiers just start shooting in all directions.” IfsTryingShotsTragedyMereKillingEverydaySoldierShootingBombsEngagementSuspicionRoadsideLaxRules Of Engagement Author:Yaroslav Trofimov
“Well, it's a problem in general with the American military. If you are the biggest and the strongest military power in the world, you have this natural reluctance to learn the quirky ways of the natives in faraway lands.” IfsWorldWayWellsProblemNaturalLandMilitaryStrongestQuirkyReluctanceMilitary PowerAmerican Military Author:Yaroslav Trofimov
“The American official was trying to talk about aid and development projects and finally a local tribal chief got up and said, "Even if you turn our country into heaven, we don't want it from you. Just leave us."” IfsWantTryingSaidCountryTurnsHeavenDevelopmentProjectsAidsLocalsOur CountryChiefsOfficials Author:Yaroslav Trofimov
“Even if you are a liberal in the Muslim world, when you see Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, and you see all the other reports of abuses by American forces, it's very hard to get up and say, "We should simulate the American ways," because this is the face of America now in the Muslim world, for many Muslims.” IfsWorldWayShouldHardAmericaFacesForceAbuseGet UpReportsMuslim WorldGuantanamoSimulateAbu Ghraib Author:Yaroslav Trofimov
“So our own actions sometimes have undermined our safety, in our efforts to fight terrorism. The only way this can work is if we are aligned with liberals, with moderate Muslim forces. But if our war on terrorism is seen - as it is seen by many Muslims - as a war on Islam itself, it's very hard for us to have Muslim alliances, because America and the West have become so toxic.” IfsWayWarSometimesHardActionAmericaFightingForceEffortSafetyWestIslamTerrorismToxicModeratesAlliancesWar On TerrorWar On Terrorism Author:Yaroslav Trofimov
“Even if you look at Iran, those campaigners for human rights there, they don't want to have anything to do with America, because they are afraid that having American support will be the kiss of death for their movement. And that's really tragic.” IfsWantHumansLooksAmericaSupportRightsMovementKissingHuman RightsTragicIranKiss Of Death Author:Yaroslav Trofimov
“And if you look at the experience of Turkey, for example, where the modern Islamists are in power and are doing fine - this is very good. Because democracy is not possible in the Muslim world without bringing in the Islamists or part of the Islamists who hate us now into these governments.” IfsWorldLooksGovernmentHateDemocracyModernExampleFineVery GoodTurkeysIslamistsMuslim World Author:Yaroslav Trofimov
