Pakistani politics is complicated, and I think it's not something a foreigner can easily assimilate and understand. Richard Holbrooke More Quotes by Richard Holbrooke More Quotes From Richard Holbrooke United Nations peacekeepers are going all over the world spreading AIDS even while they're trying to bring peace. What a supreme irony. Richard Holbrooke irony trying world The controlled chaos is one way to get creativity. The intensity of it, the physical rush, the intimacy created the kind of dialogue that leads to synergy... Richard Holbrooke chaos creativity way That really is the way the White House thinks, they don't have a deep understanding of the issues themselves, but increasingly, they're deluding themselves into thinking they do. Richard Holbrooke politics Went over to the White House to see Tom Donilon [deputy national security adviser], who was extremely agitated and kept saying, 'You're going too slow, you don't have a strategy, the president's very dissatisfied,' i said, 'Tom, we have a strategy -- you guys have never let us lay it out.' That, of course, got him even more agitated. Richard Holbrooke politics While I had great respect for the military, they should not dictate political strategy, which is what's happening now. Richard Holbrooke politics In short, you can't let the deadline define the mission. The mission has to define the duration. Richard Holbrooke short mission you deadline I think Americans understand that in Afghanistan, unlike in Iraq and Vietnam, we are fighting an enemy allied with the people who attacked us on 9/11. Richard Holbrooke understand think fighting people I'm a product of the Kennedy era. Kennedy's Inaugural plus the accident of Dean Rusk brought me into the government. Those were my values. Richard Holbrooke product me values government You have to test your hypothesis against other theories. Certainty in the face of complex situations is very dangerous. Richard Holbrooke face your you dangerous By the way, if you do your job on behalf of your country, you have meetings where you put your position forward strongly, and the other side does the same thing. And I've had plenty of meetings in my career that really were heated, people yelling at each other. Richard Holbrooke job you people way The male elites that run most countries are exceedingly uncomfortable with the subject of AIDS because it's a sexually transmitted disease. Richard Holbrooke aids run uncomfortable disease You will never catch up with the spread of AIDS no matter how much money, no matter how many antiretrovirals are put into the system, unless you stop its growth. And the only way to stop its growth is prevention. Richard Holbrooke you growth money way People in uniform are not sacrosanct. They don't have all the answers. The use of force is a political decision at its core, in terms of its objectives; then the military, as the experts, must be brought in to tell you how to do it. Richard Holbrooke uniform you decision people I'm not a wide-eyed imperialist who wants to see Americans manning outposts all over the world. Not outposts to freedom in the cold war cliche, but islands of stability and seas of ethnic strife. That is not what anyone should feel comfortable seeing Americans doing. Richard Holbrooke feel freedom war world I have worked in every - every Democratic administration since the Kennedy administration, and I know dysfunctionality when I see it. Richard Holbrooke i-see see know administration We should not be surprised that democracy is imperfect even in Western countries. Richard Holbrooke surprised imperfect democracy should The United States supports the reintegration of people who have fought with the Taliban into Afghan society provided they: one, renounce al Qaeda, two, lay down their arms and renounce violence, and three, participate in the public political life of the country in accordance with the constitution. Richard Holbrooke constitution society life people There's no question that the next generation of terrorists, rather than going for small, little dramas, will go for the big one. They now understand that the way to get the world's attention is not strapping bombs to themselves in a pizza parlour, but to do something so horrific it gets you into the Guinness Book of World Records for terrorism. Richard Holbrooke you terrorism book world
