A biography for Richard Engelhasn’t been written yet.
“The U.S., often in secret, carries out counterterrorism missions all the time, with drones in places like Yemen and Somalia.”
“It seems nothing good comes out of Abu Ghraib.”
“Shaped like Texas, but twice as big, Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. It exports almost nothing - mostly just cotton, gold and livestock - and doesn't have enough money to import much of anything, either.”
“For years, Lebanese have known that Palestinian camps like Nahr al-Barid and Ain al-Helwe - hopeless slums crowded with generations of disenfranchised Palestinian refugees who can't go home because of Israel, and can't work because of Lebanese laws - are awash with gunmen, criminals and, since the war in Iraq, al-Qaida inspired jihadists.”
“What is the Obama Doctrine? It seems to be one of disengagement, to try to ignore the hot, religious, dry, poor countries from Algeria to Pakistan.”
“Under Islamic law, adoption is difficult.”
“Women, who enjoyed a high social status and levels of education under Saddam, saw terrible setbacks as Iraq fell into civil war. As a result of the sectarian violence from 2005-2007, women retreated to their homes and fell from public view.”
“Bin Laden is dead, and most of his friends are dead. But did it need to cost a trillion dollars and two land wars, including one that didn't have to do with Al Qaeda? Probably not.”
“The dangers of an Afghan collapse are many: Afghan deaths, a loss of American prestige, a loss of NATO prestige, a moral blow to U.S. troops and veterans, a Taliban resurgence, huge setbacks for women, and greater power for Pakistan and Pakistani extremists.”
“The Taliban mostly attacks international and Afghan security forces. They rarely carry out attacks in markets.”
“War can be fun for certain people. It's a magnet for sadists, losers, and angry dreamers.”
“War is not a petri dish to examine and analyze our emotions.”
“Every country where the the United States maintains troops has a status of forces agreement.”
“If democracy brings an undemocratic group to power, is that a victory for democracy?”
“Every war has revolutionary justice.”
“For decades, Saddam and his Sunni minority had imposed their will on Iraq, carrying on a 14-century tradition of Sunnis controlling Mesopotamia despite a Shiite majority.”
“After literally hundreds of firefights, Chosen Company became increasingly battle-hardened. And they also became increasingly suspicious of their Afghan counterparts, believing - with their lives on the line at the end of the day - that they could only truly rely on themselves.”
“I had some training on how to cope with hostage-taking.”
“If Syria collapses completely, the United States and the world would have to consider who, and what, fills the vacuum.”
“Lebanon does not have a powerful army.”