I think he knows Iraq isn't Afghanistan and that his profile has to be different. Anthony Cordesman More Anthony Cordesman Quotes 0
He has studied military tactics and counterinsurgency operations, but I don't think this is someone who sees himself as a commander. This is someone who sees himself as a stimulator. Anthony Cordesman More Anthony Cordesman Quotes 0
You're watching the insurgents develop more sophisticated methods of attack, and more sophisticated IEDs. They're using shaped charges and anti-tank mines stacked together. They're using 500-pound bombs that can destroy any armored vehicle. They're using these so-called swarming attacks, firing several RPG rounds at one lightly armored vehicle. Anthony Cordesman More Anthony Cordesman Quotes 0
It's posturing. The question is: What kind of clout does the political posture have? Anthony Cordesman More Anthony Cordesman Quotes 0
The question is, what does victory mean? It certainly isn't the number of people we kill or detain. Anthony Cordesman More Anthony Cordesman Quotes 0
On a day-to-day basis, the overall level of security is obviously low. We can't secure the airport road, can't stop the incoming into the Green Zone, can't stop the killings and kidnappings. Anthony Cordesman More Anthony Cordesman Quotes 0
There's so much spin in these numbers. A lot of facts get disguised. . . . Total manpower is meaningless. The army is the key force in direct combat. Anthony Cordesman More Anthony Cordesman Quotes 0
I am somewhat surprised when I hear statements from people at the political level that the insurgency is somehow declining when the command inside Iraq says just the opposite. Anthony Cordesman More Anthony Cordesman Quotes 0
Usually they'll place an array of explosives locked to a single infrared sensor, ... What you get is an array of shaped charges, so you're not going to get hit with just one. Anthony Cordesman More Anthony Cordesman Quotes 0
will end in snatching defeat from the jaws of uncertainty. Anthony Cordesman More Anthony Cordesman Quotes 0
Our peace efforts are perceived throughout the region and Iraq as weak and dishonest and the United States is viewed as little more than Israel's proxy. Anthony Cordesman More Anthony Cordesman Quotes 0
If they succeed in creating an inclusive structure in virtually any peaceful form, Iraq succeeds. If they fail, the [U.S.-led] coalition fails almost regardless of its military success and that of the new Iraqi forces, and Iraq will move towards division, paralysis, civil conflict and/or a new strongman. Anthony Cordesman More Anthony Cordesman Quotes 0
It' going to take time for this political process to unfold. Coalitions can take a long time to form, and delay isn't necessarily an indication of failure. Anthony Cordesman More Anthony Cordesman Quotes 0
I think the great problem we face here is also understanding just how serious anger is against us in the Islamic and Arab world, and the reasons that anger occurs. It is, unfortunately, our alliance with Israel. It is our presence in Iraq.... And if you look at polls of popular reactions in ... Islamic countries or countries with strong Islamic movements, you find a broad-based support for extremism. Anthony Cordesman More Anthony Cordesman Quotes 0
And to be perfectly blunt, I think only fools would bet the lives of other men's sons and daughters on their own arrogance and call this force a cakewalk or a speed bump or something that you can dismiss. Anthony Cordesman More Anthony Cordesman Quotes 0