Barack Obama Quotes About Afghanistan

• Four years ago, I promised to end the war in Iraq. We did. I promised to refocus on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11. We have. We've blunted the Taliban's momentum in Afghanistan, and in 2014, our longest war will be over. A new tower rises above the New York skyline, al Qaeda is on the path to defeat, and Osama bin Laden is dead.

  Barack Obama

  Inspirational, New York, War

  Second Democratic Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech, delivered 6 September 2012, Charlotte, North Carolina

• Because of you, in Afghanistan we've broken the momentum of the Taliban. Because of you, we've begun a transition to the Afghans that will allow us to bring our troops home from there. And around the globe, as we draw down in Iraq, we have gone after al Qaeda so that terrorists who threaten America will have no safe haven, and Osama bin Laden will never again walk the face of this Earth.

  Barack Obama

  War, Home, Safe Haven

  Obama's Speech to Troops at Fort Bragg, www.nytimes.com. December 14, 2011.

• One of the challenges over the last decade is America has done experiments in nation building in places like Iraq and Afghanistan and we've neglected, for example, developing our own economy, our own energy sectors, our own education system. And it's very hard for us to project leadership around the world when we're not doing what we need to do.

  Barack Obama

  Iraq, America, Challenges

  Source: genius.com

• We do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. We see no military - we seek no military bases there. It is agonizing for America to lose our young men and women. It is costly and politically difficult to continue this conflict. We would gladly bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent extremists in Afghanistan and now Pakistan determined to kill as many Americans as they possibly can.

  Barack Obama

  Military, Home, Men

  A New Beginning: Speech at Cairo University, delivered 4 June 2009, Cairo, Egypt

• Poorly secured nuclear material in the former Soviet Union, or secrets from a scientist in Pakistan could help build a bomb that detonates in Paris. The poppies in Afghanistan become the heroin in Berlin. The poverty and violence in Somalia breeds the terror of tomorrow.

  Barack Obama

  Paris, Secret, Unions

  Barack Obama, (2008). “Change We Can Believe In”, p.274, Canongate Books

• Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the war on terrorism have reduced the pace of military transformation and have revealed our lack of preparation for defensive and stability operations. This Administration has overextended our military.

  Barack Obama

  Military, War, Iraq

  Speech to the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, July 12, 2004.

• I might have arguments with the size of Reagan's military buildup, but given the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, staying ahead of the Soviets militarily seemed a sensible thing to do. Pride in our country, respect for our armed services, a healthy appreciation for the dangers beyond our borders, an insistence that there was no easy equivalence between East and West--in all this I had no quarrel with Reagan. And when the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, I had to give the old man his due, even if I never gave him my vote.

  Barack Obama

  Country, Appreciation, Wall

  Barack Obama (2007). “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream”, p.289, Canongate Books

• Toughest decision was early in my presidency when I ordered 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan. As somebody who had run to end a large troop presence overseas.

  Barack Obama

  Running, Decision, Troops

  Source: abcnews.go.com

• Beside the two wars he inherited in Iraq and Afghanistan, and promised to end, a financial crisis at home had pushed the United States to the brink of another Great Depression. When we spoke with the new president in March of 2009, the economy was losing 800,000 jobs a month, the government was throwing hundreds of billions of dollars at failing banks, and the auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Politically pummeled from all sides, Obama did his best to keep a sense of humor.

  Barack Obama

  Jobs, War, Home

  Source: www.cbsnews.com

• Military surge in Afghanistan to eliminate the Taliban.

  Barack Obama

  Military, Afghanistan, Taliban

• I had said from the start that I thought Iraq was a mistake, that we should have stayed focused on Afghanistan. I think it was the right decision because the Taliban at that point had gotten a lot of momentum before I'd gotten into office, partly because we hadn't been paying attention as much as we needed to to Afghanistan.

  Barack Obama

  Mistake, Thinking, Should Have

  Source: abcnews.go.com

• One of the thing about being President - that can't be taught, you have to experience, is - there is the sheer weight of decision making. And when I make a decision to send 17,000 young Americans to Afghanistan - you can understand that intellectually. But understanding what that means for those families, for those young people - when you end up sitting at your desk, signing - a condolence letter to one of the family members of a fallen hero - you're reminded each and every day, at every moment, that - the decisions you make count.

  Barack Obama

  Hero, Condolences, Mean

  Source: www.cbsnews.com

• I'm not sure we have the right strategy in Afghanistan. Let me think this over for a few months.

  Barack Obama

  Thinking, Months, Strategy

• [Afghanistan and Iraq] are still countries that are fragile enough that we're gonna have to partner with them in some way.

  Barack Obama

  Country, Iraq, Way

  Source: abcnews.go.com

• I do think that it is impossible for us to think only in terms of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and not think in terms of what's happening with Syria or Iran or Lebanon or Afghanistan and Pakistan. These things are interrelated. And if we are looking at the region as a whole and communicating a message to the Arab world and the Muslim world, that we are ready to initiate a new partnership based on mutual respect and mutual interest, then I think that we can make significant progress.

  Barack Obama

  Thinking, Progress, World

  Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

• We are not going to be able to rebuild Afghanistan into a Jeffersonian democracy.

  Barack Obama

  Democracy, Able, Afghanistan

  "Interview with President Barack Obama". "NBC Today Show" with Matt Lauer, archives.nbclearn.com. February 2, 2009.

• My central focus is what are we doing to protect the American people and the American homeland? Afghanistan and Pakistan are critical elements in that process.

  Barack Obama

  People, Focus, Pakistan

  Source: www.realclearpolitics.com

• It will take time to eradicate a cancer like Isil. And any time we take military action, there are risks involved - especially to the servicemen and women who carry out these missions. But I want the American people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil.

  Barack Obama

  Cancer, Military, War

  Statement by the President on ISIL, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. September 10, 2014.

• And there’s been drift in Afghanistan over the last couple of years. That’s something that we intend to fix this.

  Barack Obama

  Couple, Years, Lasts

  "Interview with President Barack Obama". "NBC Today Show" with Matt Lauer, archives.nbclearn.com. February 2, 2009.

• We continue to stand united with Germany and our NATO allies in our ongoing efforts to build peace and stability in Afghanistan.

  Barack Obama

  Effort, Allies, Germany

  Source: time.com

• What we can do is make sure that Afghanistan is not a safe haven for Al Qaeda. What we can do it make sure that it is not destabilizing neighboring Pakistan, which has nuclear weapons. The key is we’ve got to have a clear objective...

  Barack Obama

  Safe Haven, Keys, Weapons

  "Interview with President Barack Obama". "NBC Today Show" with Matt Lauer, archives.nbclearn.com. February 2, 2009.

• [When I ordered 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan] that was the first time in which I looked out at a crowd of West Point graduates and knew that some of those might not come back because of that decision.

  Barack Obama

  Decision, Troops, West Point

  Source: abcnews.go.com

• It still puts burden on some troops of ours who are there [in Afghanistan and Iraq] as advisors and facilitators.

  Barack Obama

  Iraq, Troops, Burden

  Source: abcnews.go.com

• What we have done, I think, is build a model from a lot of hard lessons in Afghanistan and Iraq but in other places around the world, where we are working with them in an advisory capacity.

  Barack Obama

  Thinking, Iraq, Done

  Source: abcnews.go.com

• We don't have this huge footprint, we are less likely to be targeted as, you know, occupiers [in Afghanistan and Iraq].

  Barack Obama

  Iraq, Footprint, Afghanistan

  Source: abcnews.go.com

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