Alex Berenson Quotes

Let me be clear, Mr. President, mistakes have been made in Iraq. And this operation has been far from perfect as evidenced by the fact that Zarqawi and other terrorists continue to wreak havoc throughout Iraq.

Iraq is fighting a war against terrorism. We are trying our best to fight them. We are trying our best to fight outlaws in our country.

When the United States first went into Afghanistan in 2001, it devastated the Taliban and Al Qaeda in a matter of weeks using only a few hundred C.I.A. and Special Operations personnel, backed by American air power. Later, when the United States transitioned to conventional Pentagon stability operations, this success was reversed.

How can you have a war on terrorism when war itself is terrorism?

The number of attacks on the American and allied forces is at the highest level since the insurgency began despite the increase of America combat operations and the introduction of some 40 new Iraq security forces and battalions.

Faced with the collapse of Iraq into something like Lebanon - or worse, Somalia - the Bush administration opted for a new counterinsurgency strategy. Violence was reduced because, for the first time since the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, Iraqis felt that there was a force capable of dominating the situation and ensuring basic order.

We must support initiatives that provide clear, concrete measures and milestones that our troops need for defeating the insurgency, building up Iraqi security forces, and handing over Iraq to the Iraqi people.

The U.S. spent billions of dollars to build a secular, professional national Iraqi army but failed because, despite all the U.S.-supplied guns, tanks and planes, the Iraqi military fell apart when challenged by a band of terrorists.

An insurgency is the most difficult to fight of all military activities.

We considered that the strike district was in a state of actual warfare and we acted according to the procedure of the United States Army in time of war …. during the state of insurrection which prevailed, the constitution of the state of West Virginia was suspended by the acts of those men who were burning, killing and destroying property. We believed that to perpetuate the state of West Virginia and restore the constitution we had to use extreme measures.

Fighting terrorists does not require half a trillion dollars worth of conventional and nuclear forces.

Counter insurgency is something we can’t do, can’t do well, and shouldn’t be doing.

The insurgent can sow disorder anywhere, whereas the counterinsurgent—fighting on behalf of the government—has to maintain order everywhere.

A counter-insurgency is won by intelligence—not by bombardment.

Defeat the Taliban. Secure the population.

If your goal is to destroy ISIS, there needs to be a ground force. It could be American or foreign.

Responding to terrorism inevitably implies military consequences. This may shock some people, but these groups must also be dealt with on a military footing. I won't use the word 'combat' to avoid being painted as a crusader.

We don't have enough American troops inside of Iraq to destroy ISIL any time soon.

Since war itself is the most extreme form of terrorism, a war on terrorism is profoundly self-contradictory.

Killing terrorists is cheaper than capturing them.

Terrorists and criminals are increasingly adept at exploiting cutting-edge technologies to carry out or to mask their crimes. To counter current and emerging threats, the FBI actively deploys a wide range of technology-based tools, capabilities, and training that enable and enhance intelligence, national security, and law enforcement operations.

But clearly, this is what this is about. It's about pushing the security bubble out. It's about rooting out every last guy, so that there's not even somebody who can fire a single, solitary RPG round from some little qalat out here.

I just think it would be unrealistic to suggest we're going to eliminate every last domestic insurgent in Afghanistan. Certainly, the history of the country would indicate that's not a very realistic objective, and I think we have to have realistic objectives.

Air power and military are meant to fight the enemy and not your own citizens... How do you differentiate a Maoist?... It will create a civil war-like situation.

In Iraq we must succeed. Failure is not an option.