Nothing means more to those in harm’s way than the knowledge that their country appreciates their sacrifices and those of their families. David Petraeus Read Quote
Over time, the desire of Iraqis to contribute to their own security has manifested itself in citizens volunteering for the police, the Army, and concerned local citizen programs. David Petraeus Read Quote
Iraq’s Sunnis need to be brought back into the fold. They need to feel as though they have a stake in the success of Iraq rather than a stake in its failure. David Petraeus Read Quote
Iraq is a country I came to know well and the place where I spent some of the most consequential years of my life. David Petraeus Read Quote
Beyond Iraq, I am also profoundly worried about the continuing meltdown of Syria, which is a geopolitical Chernobyl. Until it is capped, it is going to continue to spew radioactive instability and extremist ideology over the entire region. David Petraeus Read Quote
The proximate cause of Iraq’s unraveling was the increasing authoritarian, sectarian, and corrupt conduct of the Iraqi government and its leader after the departure of the last U.S. combat forces in 2011. David Petraeus Read Quote
Folks really need to be very cautious about overanalyzing or overparsing what I’ve said to this reporter or that reporter. David Petraeus Read Quote
There is not a military commander alive today who is genetically predisposed to say that he has enough ISR and assets, and particularly not in the Central Command theater. David Petraeus Read Quote
Mubarak would meet with me when I was at Central Command. He would lean and put his hand on my knee, as if a father figure, and say, ‘General, don’t ever forget the Arab Street. Listen to the Arab Street.’ I’d like to go to him now and say, ‘Mr. President, what about that Arab Street, what’s that all about?’ David Petraeus Read Quote
