99 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

For many, embracing the ideology of Osama bin Laden or ISIS allowed them to become the heroes of their own story as well as actors in a cosmic crusade. For others, a 'cognitive opening' to militant Islam was often precipitated by a personal disappointment or loss. Peter Bergen

Disappointment Heroes Ideology Islam Become Own Others Embracing Cosmic Allowed Crusade Opening Well Loss Personal Often Story Them Militant Many Bin Actor Cognitive

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the two brothers who carried out the marathon bombing, was a non-practicing Muslim who only became an Islamist militant once his dreams of becoming an Olympic boxer faded. At the time of the attack, he was unemployed. Peter Bergen

The reality is that Trump's focus on immigrants is to misconceive of the terrorist problem that exists in the United States. Peter Bergen

Reality Problem Focus States Immigrants Terrorist Trump Exists United United States

Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad belongs to the small Alawite sect and is therefore considered a heretic by many Sunnis; al-Assad runs a secular regime, and therefore he is considered by Sunni militants to be an apostate, and he is inflicting a total war on his Sunni population. Peter Bergen

War Secular Considered Syrian Sunni Runs Total Total War Small He His Dictator Regime Many Therefore Population Belongs Heretic

In short, the hunt for bin Laden could not have been accomplished without every form of American intelligence-gathering. Peter Bergen

Every Hunt Could Without Been Accomplished American Short Form Bin

'Zero Dark Thirty' is a great piece of filmmaking and does a valuable public service by raising difficult questions most Hollywood movies shy away from, but as of this writing, it seems that one of its central themes - that torture was instrumental to tracking down bin Laden - is not supported by the facts. Peter Bergen

Service Great Writing Dark Valuable Down Difficult Thirty Torture Seems Facts Supported Most Piece Instrumental Tracking Does Questions Central Public Movies Hollywood Hollywood Movies Themes Public Service Bin Away Zero Shy Raising Filmmaking

During the campaign, Trump in many ways repudiated President Obama's national security and foreign policy approach on issues like the Iran nuclear deal and immigration. So there's a real question of continuity or disruption with Trump, which wouldn't have existed if Clinton was president-elect. Peter Bergen

Immigration National President Approach Ways Security Obama Like Policy Deal Foreign Real Issues Foreign Policy Continuity Existed Iran Clinton Question Trump Campaign National Security Real Question Which Many Nuclear Disruption

Trump has long said he favors a 'safe zone' in Syria to prevent Basher al Assad's regime from carrying out indiscriminate airstrikes against Syrian civilians and to halt the refugee flow out of Syria. Peter Bergen

For Islamist terrorist groups such as ISIS, the holy month of Ramadan - a time of fasting and prayer for the vast majority of Muslims - is seen as a particularly auspicious time to launch terrorist attacks. Peter Bergen

Time Prayer Seen Month Muslims Launch Vast Vast Majority Attacks Particularly Majority Terrorist Holy Groups Fasting

In quiet ways far too complex to hold Trump's interest, Muslims in the United States and around the world are helping every day to prevent massacres such as Orlando from happening. Peter Bergen

Rather than making loose and unsubstantiated claims that Obama and Clinton created ISIS, it would behoove Trump if he advanced some real policy ideas about how to solve the Syrian and Iraqi civil wars. Of course, to do that he would have to get beyond the inflammatory slogans and sound bites that have characterized his campaign. Peter Bergen

Bites Syrian Claims Characterized Obama Slogans Would Solve Civil Some About Civil Wars Rather He Advanced Beyond Ideas Policy Course Loose How Making Sound Real Sound Bites His Clinton Trump Campaign Iraqi Than Get Created Wars

In Syria, a no-fly zone targeted at Assad's air force and safe zones for refugees fleeing the fighting would help tamp down the death toll that plays into the hands of ISIS and other Sunni militants who can position themselves as the only groups that are really defending the Sunni population. Peter Bergen

Death Air Force Fighting Down Other Air Syria Would Sunni Only Safe Force Targeted Hands Refugees Themselves Fleeing Really Help Who Toll Groups Population Zone Plays Defending Position

When Congress passed the Authorization for the Use of Military Force immediately after the 9/11 attacks, no one could have imagined this authorization would continue to be the basis for American wars that persist a decade and a half later. Peter Bergen

One only has to look at the debacle that has unfolded in Iraq after the withdrawal of U.S. troops at the end of 2011 to have a sneak preview of what could take place in an Afghanistan without some kind of residual American presence. Peter Bergen

Kind Some Only Troops Preview Could Take Look Withdrawal Without Iraq Sneak End American Afghanistan After Place Residual Presence

Some might say that that while al Qaeda the organization may be basically dead, its ideology continues to thrive and to inspire 'lone wolves' to attack the United States. Peter Bergen

Inspire Organization Thrive Ideology Say States Lone Some Attack Dead Wolves May While Might Al United United States Al-Qaeda Basically

The less the ISIS 'caliphate' exists as a physical entity, the less the group can claim it is the 'Islamic State' that it purports to be. Peter Bergen

Group State Claim Physical Entity Islamic Exists Less

How can you prevent an attack by returning foreign fighters if you are not cognizant of their names and links to ISIS? Peter Bergen

You Prevent Attack Names Returning How Foreign Links Fighters Cognizant

In picking Gen. Jim Mattis for Defense secretary, President-elect Donald Trump has said that he found his 'Gen. George Patton.' Yet that label may not really capture what makes Mattis a distinctive choice. Peter Bergen

Mattis has been sharply critical of President Barack Obama's policies on Iran and Obama's capping of troop numbers and campaign end-dates in theaters of war such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Mattis also appears to be a skeptic of the Obama-era policy of putting women into combat roles. Peter Bergen

War Women President Critical Has-Been Obama Troop Putting Combat Sharply Also Policies Policy Been Iran Iraq Campaign Roles Afghanistan Theaters Barack Skeptic Appears Numbers

Investigations by special prosecutors can take on a life of their own. Peter Bergen

Life Own Take Investigations Prosecutors Special

Since Snowden went public, companies such as Apple and Google - two of the world's most valuable companies - have incorporated much greater encryption into their products and have also been at pains to show that they will not go along with U.S. government demands to access their encrypted products. Peter Bergen

Government World Valuable Will Google Since Demands Along Most Also Greater Access Go Been Encryption Snowden Public Much Show Products Pains Companies Apple Two Incorporated

ISIS' key social media-encrypted platform is Telegram, which is engineered by a Berlin-based tech company that can simply ignore the rulings of American federal judges as well as legislation passed by the U.S. Congress. Peter Bergen

Key Congress Telegram Federal Simply Well Judges Passed American Legislation Which Social Ignore Engineered Company Platform Tech

It is hard to imagine two more final endings to the 'war on terror' than the popular revolts against the authoritarian regimes in the Middle East and the death of bin Laden. Peter Bergen

Death War Final East More Terror Than Authoritarian Revolts Endings Middle Middle East Against Regimes Hard Popular Bin Two Imagine

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