Lakhdar Brahimi

“The events of September 11 and what has happened since have made people understand that even a small, distant and far away country like Afghanistan cannot be left to break up into anarchy and chaos without consequences for the whole world.”

“What again I tell my people is that no matter how much you know, it's never enough. You will always discover, after the fact, that you've missed something.”

“The mandate you go with is intimidating and also is a source of respect that you gain, because you have come with this mandate from the United Nations.”

“At times one feels that what is being said in the West is that the fact that you are a Muslim predisposes you to this blind, stupid terrorism.”

“But I knew that what had happened was an eye-opener not only to the United States but also to Pakistan, who realized that after what has happened on the 11th of September, it was simply impossible to continue to play those games in Afghanistan.”

“However, it does seem now that the international community, more importantly the powers that have influence, and, even more importantly, Afghanistan's neighbors realize that it is high time that they work together, and not against one another.”

“It also seems that the Afghans themselves want to avail themselves of this opportunity and all recognize that the UN is uniquely qualified to help bring them together.”

“Afghanistan is a land-locked country.”

“Several million people inside and outside Afghanistan are destitute and desperately in need of help.”

“You are dealing with people who have taken the responsibility of killing their own because they think that they are right, they think that they are serving the interests of their people. They not going to give that up easily, just because you've shown up.”

“Probably I understand very much the people who rise against injustice.”

“In Rwanda that genocide happened because the international community and the Security Council refused to give, again, another 5000 troops which would have cost, I don't know, maybe fifty, a hundred, million dollars.”

“There is also a natural and very, very strong empathy with the underdog, with people who have suffered, people who have been pushed around by foreigners in particular, but also by their own people.”

“So, the international community are all the countries that are important: the United States definitely everywhere; the European Union because it is very important, and also, they do show a great deal of international responsibility; and then the local players.”

“But you've got to understand what the other guy is about, even if at the end of the process you decide that there is no ground with this man or woman except to fight them.”

“I think a failed state is the responsibility of the people who have made that state fail, and those are generally the people of that country.”

“In the globalized world that is ours, maybe we are moving towards a global village, but that global village brings in a lot of different people, a lot of different ideas, lots of different backgrounds, lots of different aspirations.”

“There is an expression now that is commonly used about these so-called internal conflicts which are not really internal, because they have connections to the outside world.”

“Somebody was asking me the other day - President Bush is now talking about freedom for the Arab world. I say, well, that's great. I was talking about that fifty years ago.”

“Be modest, be respectful of others, try to understand.”