“Now as to the behavior of the soldiers: occupations always corrupt the occupiers.” Quote by Yaroslav Trofimov
“The other problem is that the priority of many soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan is operational security: not getting killed. Now that is a very valid priority, but it has to be balanced against many other priorities, especially not killing too many locals in the process.” ProblemProcessSecurityKillingSoldierIraqPrioritiesLocalsAfghanistanBalanced 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
“In a country like Iraq with its culture of blood feuds - is that the more locals are killed, the more motivation there is for the insurgency, for the insurgents the more feelings of revenge there are, and in the end the more the operational security of the soldiers suffers, because any soldier who kills an infant today is grooming the killer of his mate tomorrow.” EndsCountryFeelingsTodayMotivationSufferingCultureBloodSecurityTomorrowSoldierIraqRevengeLocalsMatesKillersInfantInsurgentGroomingInsurgencyFeuds Author:Yaroslav Trofimov
“I think the behavior of the troops has been a huge factor in the rise of the insurgency and in the rise of the anti-American feelings there[in Iraq].” ThinkingHas BeensFeelingsHugeBehaviorIraqFactorsTroopsInsurgencyAnti-american 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
“In the occupation in Afghanistan, there are tragedies as well. It's not as bad as in Iraq because there are fewer American troops. But, as I describe in the book, going out on patrol and coming into a village, the soldiers found a stash of documents and decided this was Taliban propaganda.” WellsBookFoundDecidedTragedySoldierIraqPropagandaVillageOccupationAfghanistanFewerTroopsGoing OutDocumentsTalibanAmerican Troops 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
“But in Afghanistan, the general rule was that since you were fighting the Taliban, which was not a lawful government force, the Geneva Conventions did not apply. And that led to a lot of excesses in Afghanistan, excesses like Abu Ghraib that were already well-publicized.” WellsGovernmentFightingForceAfghanistanExcessConventionsTalibanGenevaAbu GhraibGeneva Convention Author:Yaroslav Trofimov
“Because no matter how much money we spend there [in Iraq], as long as the people there see this money as... as assistance that is unwelcome, as long as they continue to be humiliated in their own country by us... I mean, the future looked bleak, and the future after that was in fact very bleak.” PeopleMeanLongCountryMatterFactsIraqAssistanceBleakHumiliatedUnwelcome Author:Yaroslav Trofimov
“I have as much chance of becoming Prime Minister as of being decapitated by a frisbee or of finding Elvis.” ChanceBecomingFindingsMinistersPrimePrime MinisterRedneckFrisbee Author:Boris Johnson