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David Petraeus Quotes
David Petraeus Quotes
David Petraeus
American
Soldier
Born:
Nov 7
,
1952
Before
Government
People
Will
World
You
Related authors:
Chesty Puller
Douglas MacArthur
George S. Patton
John Paul Jones
Norman Schwarzkopf
Robert E. Lee
William H. McRaven
William Tecumseh Sherman
There is nothing I can do to undo what I did. I can only say again how sorry I am to those I let down and then strive to go forward with a greater sense of humility and purpose, and with gratitude to those who stood with me during a very difficult chapter in my life.
David Petraeus
Life
Me
Gratitude
Chapter
My Life
Sorry
Sense
Nothing
Down
Difficult
Humility
Say
Those
Strive
Only
Purpose
Greater
How
Am
Go
Undo
Very
Did
Stood
Again
Then
Who
Forward
Let Down
Leadership is an individual sport, one that has to be fine-tuned to each of the people that reports to you. Leaders also need to provide the direction, energy, encouragement and inspiration for each person who reports directly to the leader as well as for the overall organization.
David Petraeus
Leadership
You
People
Organization
Leader
Encouragement
Energy
Direction
Directly
Inspiration
Individual
Individual Sport
Leaders
Overall
Also
Sport
Well
Provide
Person
Reports
Who
Each
Need
There aren't always a hell of a lot of absolutely right answers out there.
David Petraeus
Hell
Out
Absolutely
Always
Answers
Lot
Right
I am not a politician, and I will never be, and I say that with absolute conviction.
David Petraeus
Will
Politician
Conviction
Say
Absolute
Never
Am
I'm living the dream.
David Petraeus
Living
Dream
During the surge in Iraq, we were able to roll back the tide of al-Qaeda and associated insurgents because we succeeded in mobilizing Iraqis - especially Sunni Arabs - to join us in fighting against the largely Sunni extremist networks in their midst.
David Petraeus
Fighting
Back
Extremist
Arabs
Sunni
Able
Networks
Join
Tide
Because
Surge
Were
Iraq
Iraqis
Roll
Against
Midst
Succeeded
Us
Largely
Al-Qaeda
Associated
The challenge of Mosul and Nineveh is the considerable number of ethnic groups, religious sects, tribes, and other elements that make up the province.
David Petraeus
Challenge
Other
Considerable
Tribes
Religious
Make
Make Up
Province
Up
Ethnic
Ethnic Groups
Groups
Elements
Number
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.
David Petraeus
Failure
Will
Resolve
Numerous
Lasting
State
Diverse
No Question
Could
Lead
Arise
Over
Most
Likely
Islamic
Real
Issues
Question
Iraq
Provinces
Effort
Real Question
Stability
Afterwards
Challenging
Defeated
Bring
The formulation of sound national policy requires finding the right overarching concepts.
David Petraeus
National
Finding
Concepts
Policy
Sound
National Policy
Formulation
Requires
Right
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.
David Petraeus
People
Important
Big
Strategy
Our
Guided
Recognition
Security
Mission
Ideas
Most
Terrain
Surge
Iraq
Campaign
Big Ideas
Improve
Human
The Most Important
Biggest
Explicit
Needless to say, it was the greatest of privileges to serve with the selfless men and women - Iraqi and American and those of our coalition partners, civilian as well as military - who did the hard, dangerous work of the surge. There seldom was an easy period; each day was tough.
David Petraeus
Work
Day
Women
Dangerous
Men
Men And Women
Tough
Military
Needless
Our
Say
Those
Easy
Civilian
Seldom
Period
Well
Partners
Greatest
Surge
Iraqi
Selfless
Privileges
American
Did
Coalition
Hard
Who
Each
Each Day
Serve
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
Knowledge
Country
Nothing
Appreciates
Way
Those
More
Sacrifices
Families
Than
Means
Harm
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
Time
Army
Police
Citizen
Own
Programs
Local
Security
Citizens
Over
Concerned
Iraqis
Itself
Contribute
Manifested
Desire
Proud parents document the arrival and growth of their future CIA officer in all forms of social media that the world can access for decades to come.
David Petraeus
Future
CIA
World
Social Media
Parents
Come
Document
Access
Proud
Arrival
Decades
Officer
Forms
Social
Media
Growth
The more the Iranians are seen to be dominating the region, the more it is going to inflame Sunni radicalism and fuel the rise of groups like the Islamic State.
David Petraeus
Seen
State
Sunni
Rise
More
Like
Islamic
Iranians
Dominating
Going
Inflame
Region
Fuel
Groups
The bottom line is that Daesh's defeat requires not just hammering them on the battlefield but, simultaneously, revived political reconciliation with Sunnis.
David Petraeus
Political
Defeat
Battlefield
Reconciliation
Bottom
Bottom Line
Simultaneously
Line
Hammering
Revived
Just
Them
Requires
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
Success
Failure
Back
Though
Fold
Brought
Rather
Feel
Iraq
Than
Stake
Need
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
Government
Cause
Leader
Increasing
Sectarian
Corrupt
Unraveling
Combat
Forces
Iraq
Iraqi
Conduct
Authoritarian
Departure
After
Last
The tragedy is that political leaders failed so badly at delivering what Iraqis clearly wanted - and for that, a great deal of responsibility lies with Prime Minister Maliki.
David Petraeus
Great
Political
Great Deal
Responsibility
Minister
Lies
Delivering
Badly
Leaders
Failed
Prime
Clearly
Prime Minister
Deal
Tragedy
Political Leaders
Iraqis
Wanted
I can't for the life of me think of the link between Iraq and why a fruit vendor self-immolates in Tunisia and cracks this seemingly solid crust that turns out to be so fragile that societal unrest touches off.
David Petraeus
Life
Me
Fruit
Think
Solid
Out
Seemingly
Unrest
Between
Crust
Iraq
Off
Link
Cracks
Tunisia
Turns
Why
Societal
Fragile
As we used to say when I was privileged to be the commander there, Nineveh province has the most diverse human terrain in all of Iraq - Sunni Arab majority to be sure, but also Shia Arabs, numerous Kurdish communities, and they are broken out into several different political parties.
David Petraeus
Broken
Political
Numerous
Say
Several
Arab
Out
Arabs
Sunni
Diverse
Most
Parties
Also
Terrain
Majority
Sure
Commander
Kurdish
Iraq
Province
Political Parties
Privileged
Human
Different
Used
Communities
We periodically note that there are no silver bullets, there are no magic formulas, there's no single action or component of the overall... comprehensive civil-military approach.
David Petraeus
Single
Action
Approach
Component
Magic
Silver
Comprehensive
Overall
Bullets
Note
Formulas
When I was commander of Central Command, obviously we were very concerned about the developments in Yemen, the developments in Somalia and elsewhere, in Africa and so forth. But the al Qaeda senior leadership is under unprecedented pressure.
David Petraeus
Leadership
Pressure
Elsewhere
Unprecedented
Somalia
About
Developments
Obviously
Concerned
Were
Command
Commander
Yemen
Very
Senior
Africa
Central
Forth
Al
Al-Qaeda
You cannot deal with an industrial-strength extremist problem just with force of arms. You have to have that political component as well.
David Petraeus
You
Problem
Political
Extremist
Component
Well
Force
Arms
Deal
Just
Cannot
Rumors of the American demise... have been greatly exaggerated.
David Petraeus
Rumors
Exaggerated
Demise
Been
Greatly
American
I've been in a position before where a president has turned to me in the Oval Office in a difficult moment, without any pleasantries, and said, 'I'm asking you as your president and Commander in Chief to take command of the international security force in Afghanistan.' The only response can be, 'Yes, Mr. President.'
David Petraeus
Me
You
Before
Difficult
President
Response
Security
Only
Take
Oval
Oval Office
Force
Without
Said
Command
Commander
Been
Yes
Chief
Office
Any
Afghanistan
Where
Turned
Asking
Your
Moment
International
Difficult Moment
Position
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