“I'm not in Iraq. I'm here in California. Have I had an argument with my husband today? Have I been at war with someone in my life today - or with myself? Let me work on that. That way war is ending somewhere in the world.” WorldWayWarTodayHusbandArgumentLet MeIraqCaliforniaMy Husband Author:Byron Katie
“Some dozens of years ago, there was a debate conducted between people insisting that "this loaf of bread must be redistributed," and the others who said "instead of worrying about redistributing it, cutting differently, let's make it bigger." A third possibility was not imagined: that the loaf may be shrinking. But it is now a genuine possibility. It is even acting upon already, like in the case of the American invasion of Afghanistan and of Iraq in order to secure the supply of petrol for the Americans addicted to gas-guzzling cars.” PeopleYearsMaySaidOrderActingCasesWorryCuttingCarPossibilityYears AgoThirdsBiggerIraqDebateGenuineBreadSecureGasAfghanistanDozenInvasionShrinkingInsistingPetrol Author:Zygmunt Bauman
“I think that there is a particular mindset that was on display in the run-up to the Iraq war that continues to this day. Some of the folks who were involved in that decision either don't remember what they said or are entirely unapologetic about the results, but that views the Middle East as a place where force and intimidation will deliver on the security interests that we have, and that it is not possible for us to at least test the possibility of diplomacy.” ThinkingSaidWarRunningRememberForceInterestDecisionResultsViewsMiddleSecurityPossibilityParticularInvolvedTestsFolksIraqMindsetEastThis DayDisplayMiddle EastThey SaidDiplomacyIraq WarIntimidationUnapologetic Author:Barack Obama
“I felt implicated in American affairs.Outraged at the blatant lies about Iraqs involvement in al Qaeda, at the regimes arrogance and stupidity, Guantnamo Bay and all the rest of it. But the poems at the start of District and Circle Anahorish 1944, The Aerodromearent particularly aimed as criticism. On the contrary, there's a recognition of the big contribution to world order made in Europe during World War II.” WorldMadeWarBigsLyingOrderFeltEuropeCriticismAffairIraqStupidityContraryCirclesRecognitionWar Of The WorldsArroganceContributionAlsWorld War IiRegimesWorld War IInvolvementAl QaedaWorld OrderOutragedBlatant Lies Author:Seamus Heaney
“The United States has been essentially engaged in an ongoing war that most people date from 2001. That war has taken us to Afghanistan, to Iraq, in a lesser way to other countries - Libya, Somalia, Yemen.” PeopleWayHas BeensWarCountryStatesUnitedUnited StatesTakenIraqEngagedAfghanistanOther CountriesOngoingLibyaSomaliaYemen Author:James Mattis
“[Chelsea] Manning leaked more than 700,000 classified files and videos to WikiLeaks about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and U.S. foreign policy.” WarPolicyIraqVideoAfghanistanForeign PolicyFilesChelseaWikileaks Author:Amy Goodman
“I mean, all of these things that [Bashar Assad] has done, there's no way even if President Obama wanted to just play along that you could actually achieve peace, because there are 65 million Sunni in between Baghdad and the border of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, who will never, ever again accept Assad as a member - as a legitimate leader.” IfsWayMeanDonePlayWantedPresidentLeaderAcceptingMillionsAchieveMembersIraqBordersPresident ObamaSyriaTurkeysBaghdadAssad Author:John F. Kerry
“If Trump really opposed the war in Iraq, all he has to do is show us the evidence. It would take five minutes. He hasn’t done it. He’s lying.” IfsWarDoneShowsLyingFiveMinutesTrumpEvidenceIraqFive Minutes Author:Kevin Drum
“There are guys over in Iraq that have been there for up to 14 months. It has been really tough on them. So any support that I can give; I'll give as much as I can.” GivingHas BeensI CanGuySupportMonthsToughIraq Author:Tito Ortiz
“Thousands of Americans have given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq upholding their oaths and defending this nation. Chelsea Manning broke her oath and made it more likely that others would join the ranks of her fallen comrades. Her prison sentence may end in a few months' [time], but her dishonor will last forever.” MayMadeEndsLastsGivenNationsForeverMonthsPrisonIraqSentencesMade ItBrokeFallenAfghanistanOathComradeChelseaDishonor Author:John McCain
“There has been sort of, if you will, a moral interventionism on the part of the United States trying to reshape countries in our own image. Now, we had to go into Afghanistan. We didn't have to go into Iraq. But the idea that you could create a Vermont in the Middle East like that was naive from the beginning.” IfsTryingHas BeensIdeasCountryStatesUnitedMoralUnited StatesMiddleIraqEastAfghanistanMiddle EastNaiveVermontInterventionism Author:Pat Buchanan
“From Iraq to Guantanamo Bay, international standards and the framework of international law are being given less when they should be given more importance. I am pleased that the courts in the United States are beginning to review what has happened to those detained in Guantanamo Bay. Similarly in Iraq we need to bring our strategies back within the framework of international norms and law.” NeedsShouldStatesLawGivenUnitedUnited StatesHappenedStandardsImportanceCourtStrategyInternationalIraqReviewsNormFrameworkInternational LawGuantanamoGuantanamo Bay Author:Mary Robinson
“China has been trading technology and systems with Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Pakistan, North Korea now for years and years. Indigenously? No they're not going to have one. But they're getting dangerously close to having one. We can all have reason to suspect. Why would they not if they're trading with these countries?” IfsYearsHas BeensCountryReasonTechnologyIraqChinaIranSuspectsSyriaPakistanTradingKoreaNorth KoreaLibya Author:James Inhofe
“I got involved as an activist when I was in high school, around the Iraq war. That's how I got involved. It seemed like, OK, we're going to go to war. It doesn't seem like a good idea. Someone should do something. I'm looking around and, like, I am someone, and I might not be able to do everything, but I can do something.” ShouldI CanIdeasWarSeemsMightAbleSchoolCan DoInvolvedHigh SchoolIraqActivistGood IdeasIraq WarCan Do Something Author:Eugene Puryear
“We are engaging in the diplomatic efforts that are required within Iraq among the Shia, the Sunni and the Kurd, among friends, like Egypt, and Turkey and Saudi Arabia, but also enemies like Iran and Syria. They have to have buy-in into that process.” ProcessEffortEnemyIraqIranSyriaEgyptEngagingTurkeysArabiaSaudi ArabiaSaudisDiplomaticKurdsShia Author:Barack Obama
“I've said consistently that I always reserve the right, in conjunction with a broader international effort, to prevent genocide or any wholesale slaughter than might happen inside of Iraq or anyplace else.” SaidMightHappensEffortInternationalIraqGenocideConsistentlyReservesSlaughterWholesaleConjunctions Author:Barack Obama
“There is no way the Americans are going to be able to carry out a full scale war against Iraq and at the same time maintain the same kind of pressure on the Al Qaeda network in countries as diverse as Indonesia, Philippines, and Pakistan, as well as in Europe.” WayWellsKindWarCountryAbleEuropePressureIraqScalesAlsDiversePakistanIndonesiaAl QaedaPhilippines Author:Ahmed Rashid
“One of the challenges over the last decade is America has done experiments in nation building in places like Iraq and Afghanistan and we've neglected, for example, developing our own economy, our own energy sectors, our own education system. And it's very hard for us to project leadership around the world when we're not doing what we need to do.” WorldNeedsHardDoneLastsAmericaEnergyNationsChallengesEconomyExampleBuildingProjectsIraqDecadesExperimentsAround The WorldDevelopingAfghanistanNeglectedEducation SystemNation Building Author:Barack Obama
“Beside the two wars he inherited in Iraq and Afghanistan, and promised to end, a financial crisis at home had pushed the United States to the brink of another Great Depression. When we spoke with the new president in March of 2009, the economy was losing 800,000 jobs a month, the government was throwing hundreds of billions of dollars at failing banks, and the auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Politically pummeled from all sides, Obama did his best to keep a sense of humor.” TwoWarEndsStatesHomeGovernmentJobsSidesPresidentUnitedUnited StatesEconomyFailingMonthsIndustryLosingCrisisDollarsFinancialIraqBillionsSpokesMarchSense Of HumorThrowingAfghanistanCollapseGreat DepressionVergeFinancial CrisisAuto Industry Author:Barack Obama
“There was sort of a negative association with the military. Maybe growing up in the South or being in a family with members of the military, I didn't have that negative connotation, but I did have this 'separate' connotation. I was ashamed to realize I had it and did not realize I had it until I was [in Iraq]. I was so impressed by the people I met over there and there was just a sense of connection and gratitude towards those people.” PeopleRealizingGrowing UpGrowingMilitaryGratitudeMetsMembersNegativeConnectionsSouthIraqAshamedAssociationImpressedConnotation Author:Stephen Colbert
“To be really obvious about something, if somebody straps an M1 on your shoulder and throws you in Iraq, you're going to get a sense of what the hell's going on there. Boy, you'll wake up fast when bullets are flying over your head.” IfsBoysHellWake UpIraqObviousFlyingShouldersOver YouBullets Author:Al Pacino
“I don't like what's going on in Iraq, naturally. I'm part of a large majority of people who don't, but I do not know the whole story. I do not believe what I see on television. I believe a percentage of it, so it's hard for me to discern. I don't like what it's doing to the world.” PeopleKnowsWorldBelieveHardWholeStoriesI BelieveTelevisionMajorityIraqPercentages Author:Al Pacino
“I don't like a lot of things like [Iraq], I never did. Being in a position of celebrity and having your words carry such unnatural weight...I've always been a bit squeamish when it came to that kind of thing.” KindBitsPositionWeightIraqUnnatural Author:Al Pacino
“If you get a President (Hillary) Clinton, you might well find, just as after Vietnam, that there is a retraction from Iraq and of American influence in the world. And in a couple of years the Europeans will be complaining about that too.” IfsWorldYearsWellsMightPresidentInfluenceCoupleClintonIraqComplainingVietnam Author:John Bolton
“The Israeli-Palestinian problem becomes very acute with Gaza dominated by Hamas. With the possibility of the conflict escalating, not only in terms of Gaza but also the Hezbollah and Lebanon, with the continuing crisis in Iraq, which is very dynamic and unpredictable and which could get out of hand, and maybe even escalate and enlarge.” ProblemHandsTermPossibilityConflictCrisisIraqPalestinianContinuingUnpredictableIsraeliGazaLebanonHamasHezbollahEscalating Author:Zbigniew Brzezinski
“Because national borders are eroding, because of the growth of non-state actors. It's a different kind of a world. We are tied down by a tiny little country - Iraq. It's amazing, given the disparity in military economic strength. It's a world where most of the big problems spill over national boundaries, and there are new kinds of actors and we're feeling our way as to how to deal with them.” WorldWayKindLittlesDifferentCountryStatesFeelingsProblemBigsActorsGivenGrowthDealsEconomicMilitaryIraqTinyBoundariesBordersDifferent KindsTiedSpillsBig ProblemsDisparityNational Borders Author:Brent Scowcroft
“The kind of problem that America faces in Iraq is a little bit the kind of problem that Israel faced in dealing with Hezbollah. If the conflict, the theater of conflict enlarges, it's going to become more and more absorbing and more and more costly.” IfsKindLittlesProblemAmericaFacesBitsConflictLittle BitTheaterIraqIsraelAbsorbingHezbollah Author:Zbigniew Brzezinski
“One has to be willing to face the fact that what has transpired in Iraq is not exactly a very successful exercise.” FactsFacesSuccessfulWillingExerciseIraq Author:Zbigniew Brzezinski
“After the '30s, we said, "no more Munichs." And it got us in a lot of problems. Then we said, "No more Vietnams." Now if we say, "No more Iraqs," the next one won't be an Iraq. It will be something different. You can't learn lessons.” IfsSaidDifferentProblemNextLessonsIraqVietnamThe Next OneLearning Lessons Author:Brent Scowcroft
“I'm perfectly willing to say no more Iraqs, which means no more unilateral starting of the war on false claims, false information, and a complete misunderstanding of the nature of the situation in the region.” MeanWarSituationInformationWillingClaimsStartingIraqRegionsMisunderstanding Author:Zbigniew Brzezinski
“If you look back at the first Gulf war, the Arabs sent forces, they sent money. So their interests in Iraq are clear, but they're nowhere to be seen now. Why? Because right now, it's dangerous to be seen as supporting the United States.” IfsFirstsLooksWarStatesForceInterestUnitedUnited StatesClearDangerousRight NowIraqGulf War Author:Brent Scowcroft
“The Israelis have taken a lot of security measures which reduce significantly the ability of Iran to inflict truly severe pain in Israel. But America is vulnerable with 100,000 troops in Iraq and more than half of that in Afghanistan, and we depend heavily on access to Middle Eastern oil. We're sitting targets for debilitating Iranian retaliation.” PainAmericaAbilityHalfTakenMiddleSecurityDependsSittingIraqIsraelOilAccessVulnerableIranTargetAfghanistanTroopsSevereEasternIranianRetaliationSecurity MeasuresTroops In IraqSevere Pain Author:Zbigniew Brzezinski
“This is the company we keep when it comes to the death penalty: China, the number one executing country; Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, those are the top 4, and number 5 is the US. And those are not countries that are known as champions for human rights, you know.” KnowsHumansCountryNumbersCompanyKnownRightsHuman RightsIraqChinaChampionIranPenaltiesDeath PenaltyArabiaSaudi ArabiaSaudisExecutingCompany We Keep Author:Shane Claiborne
“I want to break up the Wall Street banks. Hillary Clinton doesn't. I want to raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour. She wants $12 an hour. I voted against the War in Iraq. She voted for the War in Iraq. I believe we should ban fracking. She does not. I believe we should have tax on carbon and deal aggressively with climate change. That is not her position.” WantShouldBelieveDoeWarI BelieveHoursDealsBreakStreetsPositionWallTaxesShould HaveRaisesClintonClimateClimate ChangeIraqMinimumCarbonBucksBansMinimum WageFracking Author:Bernie Sanders
“I think the problem with John Bolton is he disagrees with President Trump's foreign policy. He would be closer to John McCain's foreign policy. John Bolton still believes the Iraq war was a good idea. He still believes that regime change is a good idea. He still believes that nation-building is a good idea.” ThinkingBelieveStillsIdeasWarProblemWould BeNationsPresidentPolicyBuildingTrumpIraqDisagreeGood IdeasRegimesForeign PolicyIraq WarMccainNation BuildingRegime Change Author:Rand Paul
“I went out to cover the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan fundamentally [in Buzzing at the Sill] because I was interested in war as a notion and in experiencing it. I was interested in history and how societies form. I was interested in the recent history of what had provoked these wars. So when I finally got out there, I was really seeing the wars through the American perspective, much more than through being embedded with American soldiers and Marines.” WarFormSeeingPerspectiveNotionSoldierIraqAfghanistanMarineEmbeddedProvokedAmerican Soldier Author:Peter van Agtmael
“I am still covering conflict to some degree. I was back in Iraq. I've covered quite a bit of the Israel and Palestine. But I'm not doing it with the kind of intensity I was before and I'm not seeking out the front line and the kind danger that comes with being at the edge of the war the way I used to.” WayKindStillsWarUsedBitsLinesFrontsDangerConflictDegreesIraqEdgesSeekingIsraelCoveredIntensityPalestineCovering Author:Peter van Agtmael
“The two reasons that Bernie Sanders gave her fits was the Iraq War and her association with Wall Street. Wall Street owns Hillary Clinton. Wall Street has bought Hillary Clinton and whatever policy considerations she can give them if she gets elected. They have bought her already. That's what all the speech income is really all about.” IfsGivingTwoWarReasonStreetsPolicyWallFitSpeechClintonIraqIncomeConsiderationAssociationIraq War Author:Rush Limbaugh
“The thing that's most uppermost in my mind and will continue to be until I hit a brick wall is that I am dead serious, dead serious about going after George Bush, trying to get him into an American courtroom and prosecute him for what happened in Iraq.” TryingMindHappenedSeriousWallIraqBricksCourtroomBrick Wall Author:Vincent Bugliosi
“Who was it in Afghanistan who screwed up in Tora Bora and let bin Laden escape? It was the Bush Administration. Who leached all the resources, military and civil, from Afghanistan, creating the instability that we see there today in order to prepare for the misbegotten invasion of Iraq? It was the Bush administration. If there's a terrorist problem today, who is responsible now? Bush has not done the job.” IfsDoneProblemTodayJobsOrderMilitaryCreatingResourcesResponsibleIraqTerroristAdministrationAfghanistanInvasionBin LadenScrewed UpInstability Author:Sidney Blumenthal
“In every single case, the truth is that the atmosphere created by the Iraq invasion and the staggeringly mismanaged occupation has incited terrorists to act. It's been a contributing factor. It's unavoidable throughout Europe - in Spain, in Germany, in Britain. The truth is that we need long-term American policy to shift in order to really soak up and get rid of these sources of terrorism that threaten our Western allies.” NeedsLongOrderTermCasesPolicySourceTruth IsEuropeWesternIraqTerrorismTerroristFactorsAtmosphereLong TermGermanyBritainOccupationAlliesSpainInvasionContributing Author:Sidney Blumenthal
“Take the Iraq War,it's the second worst crime after the Second World War. It's the first time in history, in the history of imperialism, there were huge demonstrations, before the war was officially launched.” WorldFirstsWarWorstCrimeHugeFirst TimeIraqWar Of The WorldsWorld War IImperialismDemonstrationIraq WarSecond World War Author:Noam Chomsky
“Everything that makes a society run is broken in Iraq. The only real structure is the people's own sense of themselves as Iraqis, which was very strong. They're a proud people, and they trace their historic roots way, way back.” PeopleWayRealRunningStrongBrokenProudRootsStructureIraqVery StrongHistoric Author:Bruce Cockburn
“Here's Iraq, where irrigation was invented, where law was invented, where writing was invented. All these things that we consider necessities of civilization started there. And the people who live there damn well know that.” PeopleKnowsWritingWellsLawCivilizationIraqDamnIrrigation Author:Bruce Cockburn
“In some of the Israeli media, but not all, they read about very nasty things done by Israeli settlers and soldiers to Palestinian Arabs. This is a pain in the neck for many Israelis. They say: Leave us alone, what can we do about it? Or they say: Look at Syria, look at Iraq, the West Bank is paradise by comparison. I was one of the first to say, shortly after the Six-Day War, that occupation is corrupting. It corrupts the occupier and, in a different way, it corrupts the occupied.” WayFirstsLooksDifferentWarDonePainMediaSixWestSoldierIraqDifferent WaysParadiseNecksComparisonOccupationPalestinianSyriaNastyIsraeliThings DoneSettlers Author:Amos Oz
“9/11 was a genuine trauma, and President George W. Bush rallied the country. I think the Iraq war was ill-considered, but there - it was done in the wake of a national trauma. And that the errors made under such circumstances are different than errors made in the cold.” ThinkingMadeDifferentWarCountryDonePresidentColdCircumstancesErrorsIllIraqTraumaGenuineIraq WarPresident George W Bush Author:Daniel Fried
“Most people are not affected by [the death penalty]. It's like how many people are actually sent to Iraq and Afghanistan? Such a small percentage.” PeopleIraqAffectedAfghanistanPenaltiesPercentagesDeath Penalty Author:Susan Sarandon
“The inaction of the international community towards Guatemala is injustifiable. The community should play an active role with concrete measures and sanctions imposed, as was the case in South Africa, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Cuba and Haiti. Why for us no? Why legalize death in one place and somewhere else no? This is clear in our memories.” ShouldPlayCommunityMemoriesRolesCasesClearSouthInternationalIraqActiveConcreteSouth AfricaSomewhere ElseCubaOur MemoriesSanctionsInactionHaitiInternational CommunityYugoslaviaGuatemala Author:Rigoberta Menchu
“When the United States invaded Iraq, a New York Times/CBS News survey estimated that 42 percent of the American public believed that Saddam Hussein was directly responsible for the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. And an ABC news poll said that 55 percent of Americans believed that Saddam Hussein directly supported al-Qaeda. None of this opinion is based on evidence (because there isn’t any).” WorldSaidStatesUnitedOpinionUnited StatesNew YorkNewsPercentEvidenceResponsibleTradeIraqAlsSeptemberSaddamHusseinPollsSeptember 11New York TimesSurveysAl QaedaPentagonWorld TradeWorld Trade CenterSeptember 11th Author:Arundhati Roy
“Public support in the U.S. for the war against Iraq was founded on a multitiered edifice of falsehood and deceit, coordinated by the U.S. government and faithfully amplified by the corporate media.” WarGovernmentSupportMediaIraqCorporateDeceitFalsehoodEdifice Author:Arundhati Roy