Raymond T. Odierno Quotes

Everything in the Middle East is connected to everything else

The Iranians are not part of the “axis of Evil”. They are part of the axis of Medieval.

I think Syria is in a particularly sensitive geopolitical position in terms of the politics of the Middle East.

The United States has better relations with the countries of Asia than any of them have with each other.

I don't believe in regime change, certainly not in the Middle East.

There are no second chances in the volatile Middle East.

I have always done my bit to improve Indo-Pak ties, but sometimes you say something, and it is interpreted the other way.

There is no common ground between us and Iran.

There are no short cuts, no detours in the Middle East.

Iraq is not about oil.

I must try desperately to absorb all information I can about the Middle East. I want to excel. I want to speak articulately about the politics of the Middle East and its religion.

The relationship with my people, the Nigerian people, is very good. My relationship with the rulers has always been problematic.

We have a relationship with Syria, an old relationship. We also have good relations with the people of Syria, with all segments of the population. This is the situation as well in Iraq and other countries.

Grasping the realities of the Middle East is never easy. This is not primarily because they change quickly, but because so much time, effort, and money is spent to prevent reality from breaking through.

It is no exaggeration to say that Syria holds the key for nearly all of America's foreign policy goals in the Middle East. As Syria goes, so goes the region.

If there's one country that can be trusted to understand the complexity of history, it's Israel.

We in the Middle East like to talk politics, we like to argue. Just look at the three prophets - Moses, Jesus and Mohammad. They are all from this small region which creates problems all the time.

America's relations with complex Middle Eastern states such as Egypt are often difficult.

As we move toward a new Middle East, over the years and, I think, over the decades to come, we will make a lot of people very nervous.

You can’t undo a thousand years of history by sending military troops into a country.

The Middle East is so constructed that the rational things are the things least likely to occur.

When you're dealing with the Middle East, 2000 years is the normal wait for something to happen.

The idea that we could live with another 20 years of stagnation in the Middle East that breeds this radicalism and breeds terrorism is, I think, just unacceptable- especially after September 11th.

Any state surrounded by enemies will seek strategic depth.

I would hope that we have in place the adequate resources to become an army of occupation because you’re going to walk into chaos