100 Peter Bergen Quotes for You to Enjoy

Peter Bergen

American Journalist

Born: Dec 12, 1962

Afghanistan Al Al-Qaeda American Bin War

Related authors: Ambrose Bierce Dave Barry Erma Bombeck Hunter S. Thompson Mignon McLaughlin Walter Cronkite William F. Buckley, Jr. William Lloyd Garrison

Incompetence is a better explanation than conspiracy in most human activity. Peter Bergen

Better Conspiracy Incompetence Most Than Human Human Activity Explanation Activity

More than a decade and half after 9/11, U.S. military actions in countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and several other Muslim nations are governed by the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) that was passed in the days immediately after 9/11. Peter Bergen

Half Military Other Several Immediately Syria Muslim More Countries Days Force Passed Governed Iraq Than Decade Authorization Afghanistan Nations After Use Military Force Actions

The Turkish government will never tolerate the creation of a Kurdish state. Peter Bergen

Government Will Creation State Never Kurdish Turkish Tolerate

We climbed the stairs to the third floor, where Osama bin Laden died early in the morning of May 2, 2011. Peter Bergen

Morning Climbed Died May Where Stairs Bin Floor Early Third

In Yemen, the United States conducted more drone strikes in 2016 than any year except 2012, the peak of the campaign in the country, according to data collected by New America. Peter Bergen

Country Year Strikes States Collected Data More Except New Campaign Yemen According Than America Any United United States Peak

The image we have of bin Laden in his final years in Abbottabad is of an aging man with a graying beard watching old footage of himself; just another suburban dad flipping though the channels with his remote. Peter Bergen

I stepped into the bedroom where he was killed and looked up at the ceiling, where you could still see the patterns of blood that had spurted from bin Laden's head when the bullet fired by a U.S. Navy SEAL tore through the terrorist leader's face. Peter Bergen

You Face Leader See Could Through Fired Had He Head Stepped Looked Terrorist Still Bedroom Bullet Blood Up Ceiling Where Patterns Seal Navy Bin

The centerpiece of the Bush administration's case for going to war in Iraq was Secretary of State Colin Powell's presentation to the U.N. Security Council on February 5, 2003, six weeks before the invasion. Peter Bergen

War Before State Colin Secretary Security Security Council Administration Case Invasion February Council Weeks Iraq Going Six Bush Presentation

The rise of ISIS starts with a Jordanian thug named Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who founded ISIS' parent organization, al Qaeda, in Iraq. What gave Zarqawi the opportunity to create al Qaeda in Iraq? It was, of course, George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq in 2003. Peter Bergen

The reason that Islamist militants can assert that jihad is necessary against the perceived enemies of Islam is that there is sufficient ammunition in the Quran to buttress their beliefs. The same could also, of course, be said for the Old Testament, which is full of scenes of violent death visited on the enemies of God. Peter Bergen

Death God Enemies Old Islam Jihad Visited Perceived Scenes Could Also Course Said Testament Same Which Against Full Old Testament Reason Assert Beliefs Ammunition Sufficient Necessary Violent

Common sense would tell you that the idea that Saudi Arabia was paying for bin Laden's expenses while he was living in Abbottabad is simply risible. Bin Laden's principal goal was the overthrow of the Saudi royal family as a result of which his Saudi citizenship was revoked as far back as 1994. Peter Bergen

Family You Result Sense Living Back Tell Arabia Would Citizenship He Simply Idea Principal His Goal Overthrow Common Expenses Which Common Sense While Far Paying Bin Royal Saudi Royal Family Saudi Arabia

ISIS may be a perversion of Islam, but Islamic it is, just as Christian beliefs about the sanctity of the unborn child explain why some Christian fundamentalists attack abortion clinics and doctors. Peter Bergen

Trump, of course, has been very wrong in the past about important issues such as President Barack Obama's place of birth and Mexican immigrants, but the Republican frontrunner is correct in saying that former Republican President George W. Bush did not keep the country safe during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Peter Bergen

Saying Country Important Past President Birth President George W. Bush Correct Has-Been Immigrants Obama About Attacks Wrong Safe Important Issues Course Terrorist Issues George Been Trump George W George W. Bush Mexican Very Did In The Past Place Former Republican Barack Bush Keep

The inattention of the Bush administration to the threat from al Qaeda had results. Shortly before 9/11, Bush's attorney general, John Ashcroft, turned down FBI requests for some 400 additional counterterrorism personnel. Peter Bergen

Trump's pronounced anti-immigrant stance is reminiscent of both Le Pen in France and Orban in Hungary, although he is far from alone in taking such positions in much of today's Republican Party. Peter Bergen

Today Alone Hungary Party Positions France Pen Both He Taking Reminiscent Although Trump Republican Republican Party Far Much Stance

What made al-Awlaki so influential is that, unlike a number of leaders of al Qaeda such as Osama bin Laden, he was a cleric, so he could present himself as a leading religious figure. Second, because al-Awlaki had spent much of his adult life in the States, he communicated with his followers in colloquial, accessible American English. Peter Bergen

Life Made Unlike Spent States Religious Followers Could Adult Adult Life Had He Leaders Leading Himself Because Accessible His American Influential Much Figure English Bin Al Al-Qaeda Present Second Number

Six years after al-Awlaki was born, his family moved back to Yemen, but he returned to the States for college and remained there for much of his adult life. Peter Bergen

Life Family College Back States Born Remained Adult Adult Life He Returned His Years Yemen Six Moved After Much

President Obama and a small team of senior national security officials were in the unusual position of acting as al-Awlaki's jury, judges, and de facto executioners. Peter Bergen

National President President Obama Security Obama Small Facto Unusual Judges Were National Security Officials Senior Jury Acting Team Position

Think of ISIS as a pathogen that preys on weak hosts in the Muslim world. In fact, there is something of a political law: The weaker a Muslim state, the stronger will be the presence of ISIS or like-minded groups. Peter Bergen

World Law Political Will Stronger Think State Weak Muslim Weaker Muslim World Something Fact Hosts In Fact Groups Presence

The E.U. is the latest of a series of multinational organizations set up after World War II to ensure that there would never again be a pan-European war and to create the conditions for a new European prosperity after the destruction wrought by the war against the Nazis. The E.U. has admirably succeeded at both. Peter Bergen

War World Destruction Prosperity Latest Ensure Would Both Never New Wrought Conditions Up After Again Against Succeeded Create Organizations European Multinational Series World War Set World War II

Because Scotland and Northern Ireland want to remain part of the E.U., there is the quite real possibility that Scotland and even Northern Ireland might now choose to go their own way on membership within the E.U. and the 'United Kingdom' would suddenly effectively be only England and Wales. Peter Bergen

Own Way Possibility Membership Would Kingdom Only Remain Part Because Within Real Go Effectively Ireland Wales Scotland Northern Quite Northern Ireland Want Might Choose England Even Suddenly Now United United Kingdom

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