David Petraeus Quotes
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When Western politicians propose blanket discrimination against Islam, they bolster the terrorists' propaganda.
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The foremost threat to Iraq's long-term stability and the broader regional equilibrium is not the Islamic State, it is Shiite militias, many backed by - and some guided by - Iran.
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There is no question that the Islamic State will be defeated in Mosul; the real question is what comes afterward. Can the post-Islamic State effort resolve the squabbling likely to arise over numerous issues and bring lasting stability to one of Iraq's most diverse and challenging provinces? Failure to do so could lead to ISIS 3.0.
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The central problem in Syria is that Sunni Arabs will not be willing partners against the Islamic State unless we commit to protect them and the broader Syrian population against all enemies, not just ISIS.
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In all of our efforts, we continue to emphasize the importance of inclusivity and transparency on the part of the Afghan government and leadership, especially in linking nascent local governing institutions to the decision-making and financial resources in Kabul.
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The Middle East is not part of the world that plays by Las Vegas rules: What happens in the Middle East is not going to stay in the Middle East.
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You cannot deal with an industrial-strength extremist problem just with force of arms. You have to have that political component as well.
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Nothing means more to those in harm's way than the knowledge that their country appreciates their sacrifices and those of their families.
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Partners from the Islamic world are of particular importance. Indeed, they have huge incentives to be involved, as the ongoing struggles are generally not clashes between civilizations. Rather, what we are seeing is more accurately a clash within a civilization: that of the Islamic world.
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Iraq does have many, many different tensions.
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We cannot kill or capture our way out of an industrial-strength insurgency.
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The biggest of the big ideas that guided the strategy during the surge was explicit recognition that the most important terrain in the campaign in Iraq was the human terrain - the people - and our most important mission was to improve their security.
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Ethno-sectarian violence is a particular concern in Iraq, as it is a cancer that continues to spread if left unchecked.
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Needless to say, innumerable challenges exist in all areas of governance, and much more needs to be done to help the Afghan government assume full responsibility for addressing the concerns of ordinary Afghan citizens.
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The art of coalition command - whether it is here in Afghanistan, whether it was in Iraq or in Bosnia or in Haiti - is to take the resources you are provided with, understand what the strengths and weaknesses are and to employ them to the best overall effect.
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Committing to a particular goal publicly puts pressure on oneself. It becomes an enormous action-forcing mechanism and often helps you achieve more than you might have had you kept your goals to yourself.
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Ungoverned spaces in the Islamic world will be exploited by people who wish us ill. They will not be contained.
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People often ask, why aren't you reading about what it is you're working on right now? And the truth is, you only get three pages a night before your eyelids close.
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Iraq is a country I came to know well and the place where I spent some of the most consequential years of my life.
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We need to learn from our experiences and take responsibilities for our actions and drive on.
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In counterinsurgency operations, the human terrain is the decisive terrain.
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I refuse to use terms like 'optimist' or 'pessimist' and instead prefer 'realist.'
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I am not going to second-guess my old battlefield comrades from Iraq and Afghanistan; each has his own reason for what he has done.
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I've truly tried to be apolitical.