“Don't kid yourself. President Obama's decision to withdraw 33,000 troops from Afghanistan before he stands for reelection is not driven by the United States' 'position of strength' in the war zone as much as it is by grim economic and political realities at home.” WarStatesHomeRealityKidsPoliticalPresidentDecisionUnitedUnited StatesEconomicPositionDrivenZoneAfghanistanPresident ObamaTroopsGrimWar ZonesReelection Author:Ron Fournier
“General McChrystal had to go. Whatever his virtues as a strategist and commander, the 'Rolling Stone' interview fatally compromised his ability to represent the United States in dealing with allies and to act within the circle of people who must make decisions in Afghanistan.” PeopleStatesAbilityDecisionUnitedUnited StatesVirtueStonesCirclesInterviewsAlliesAfghanistanRollingCommandersRolling StonesStrategist Author:Jim Talent
“I recommended to the president [George Bush] that our focus had to be on al-Qaida, the Taliban and Afghanistan. Those were the ones who attacked the United States of America on 9/11.” StatesAmericaPresidentUnitedUnited StatesFocusAlsAfghanistanUnited States Of AmericaTaliban Author:Colin Powell
“They [people of Afghanistan] didn't want Al-Qaeda in their country. They didn't appreciate the Taliban taking control. But they really have an incredible amount of dignity. And by that, they are grateful for America's help in ridding them of the Taliban. The average, ordinary person is glad that their daughter can go to school now. There's no public executions, no banning of soccer games. The difference is, they're appreciative, but they don't want any prolonged military presence of the United States there.” PeopleWantPersonsCountryStatesHelpingSchoolAmericaGamesDifferencesUnitedUnited StatesMilitaryAmountOrdinaryDaughterAppreciateDignityGratefulIncrediblesAverageGladSoccerAlsAfghanistanExecutionAl QaedaTalibanAppreciativeOrdinary PersonSoccer GameMilitary Presence Author:Immortal Technique
“The United States can't impose democracies. We can't impose our will. The Russians found that out in Afghanistan.” StatesFoundUnitedUnited StatesDemocracyAfghanistan Author:Chuck Hagel
“Fiction is a very powerful tool for teaching history. The Philippines was the first Iraq, the first Vietnam, the first Afghanistan, in the sense that it was the United States initial or baptismal experience in nation-building.” FirstsStatesNationsUnitedPowerfulFictionUnited StatesTeachingBuildingToolsIraqAfghanistanVietnamInitialsVery PowerfulPhilippinesNation BuildingTeaching History Author:Miguel Syjuco
“We have to be realistic about what we can achieve in Afghanistan. The notion that the United States can build a Western-style democracy there is a myth” StatesUnitedUnited StatesDemocracyAchieveStyleWesternNotionMythRealisticAfghanistan Author:Barbara Boxer
“The ongoing war in Afghanistan is being imposed on us, and Afghans are being sacrificed in it for someone else's interests. We are not blocking the interests of the United States or other major powers. But we are demanding that if you consider Afghanistan the place from which to advance your interests, then you should also pay attention to Afghanistan's interests.” IfsShouldWarStatesRealityPoliticsInterestJusticeUnitedPayAttentionUnited StatesPolicyMajorsEthicsBlockIdeologyPay AttentionAfghanistanForeign PolicyDiplomacyOngoing Author:Hamid Karzai
“The United States will not be in Afghanistan forever.” StatesUnitedUnited StatesForeverAfghanistan Author:Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
“Swapping Bergdahl for illegal enemy combatants (terrorists, in common parlance) signaled unmistakably to Taliban and al Qaeda that Obama is determined to withdraw from Afghanistan no matter what the cost to the United States or those in Afghanistan fighting to remain free.” MatterStatesFightingUnitedCommonEnemyUnited StatesCostNo Matter WhatDeterminedTerroristIllegalAlsAfghanistanAl QaedaTalibanSwapping Author:John Bolton
“In the weeks prior to the war to liberate Afghanistan, a good friend of mine would ask me almost every day, “Why aren't we killing people yet?” And I never had a good answer for him. Because one of the most important and vital things the United States could do after 9/11 was to kill people. Call it a “forceful response,” “decisive action” ' whatever. Those are all nice euphemisms for killing people. And the world is a better place because America saw the necessity of putting steel beneath the velvet of those euphemisms.” PeopleWorldImportantWarStatesActionAmericaAsksAnswersUnitedUnited StatesSawsNiceWeekMinesResponseKillingAsk MeAfghanistanGood FriendSteelBetter PlaceVelvetEuphemismDecisive Action Author:Jonah Goldberg
“I hope (the United States) will change and they will now focus entirely on helping and building a stronger, better Afghanistan.” StatesHelpingChangeUnitedUnited StatesFocusBuildingStrongerAfghanistan Author:Hamid Karzai
“Remember back then we thought about al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan and a few other places? well, we've seen al Qaeda metastasize. It is now a global scourge. And you have the ascendancy of ISIL. The combination of those two groups -- their appeal to the lone wolfs and we see them acting in Belgium and in France and in Canada and the United States so the threat factors and the nature of the threats are far more complicated and far more serious today than on September 12, 2001.” WellsTwoStatesTodayRememberNatureUnitedActingUnited StatesGroupsSeriousThreatComplicatedFactorsFranceAppealsCombinationCanadaAlsAfghanistanSeptemberPakistanAl QaedaLoneBelgiumScourgeIsilLone WolfAscendancyCanada And The United States Author:Tom Ridge
“The war in Afghanistan, the first war of the twenty-first century, shows the United States doing what it wants to do, not caring about who it antagonizes, not caring about the effects on neighboring regions.” WantFirstsWarStatesShowsUnitedUnited StatesEffectsCenturyTwentiesCaringRegionsAfghanistanNot Caring Author:Tariq Ali
“Peace is our goal, but peace from strength, an enduring peace that will bring regional cooperation. What we have emphasized and agreed is that we are strategic partners. We are bound by common interests and will act together to ensure both the safety of United States and the safety of Afghanistan. That is the important consideration. Numbers are a means; they are not an end in themselves.” MeanImportantEndsStatesTogetherPeaceGoalInterestUnitedCommonNumbersUnited StatesStrengthSafetyEndureBoundsPartnersConsiderationCooperationAfghanistanStrategicCommon InterestsRegional Cooperation Author:Ashraf Ghani