Robin Raphel Quotes
It was very obvious to me that we could not do this, we could not run a country that we did not understand...it was very much amateur hour to me, with all respect.
Robin Raphel, foreign service officer, Commenting on the occupation of Iraq, August 2003 Quoted in Thomas E. Ricks, Fiasco- The American Military Adventure in Iraq
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
She was referring to the aftermath of the Iraq War.
Taft was making his first appearance as the newly appointed Governor General of the Philippines. Prior, the country had been administered by General Arthur MacArthur, father of General Douglas MacArthur, and some military officers and a few civilians, and the results had been quite poor—not unlike the administration of Iraq after the Iraq War at the beginning of the 21st century. However, unlike the Iraq situation, Taft admitted our failings and explained them, as shown in this quotation. He learned fast and had good instincts and developed a cadre of excellent administrators who got along very well with the people and did a good job.
Leading English politicians were warning of the cost of occupying Iraq. The political and military effort did not go well either. See {585253}. The development costs were even more massive in the ill-fated George W. Bush, invasion and occupation of Iraq in the early 21st century. The English policy makers like the Bush administration were expecting a more welcoming reaction. See {585250}.
Robin Lynn Raphel (born 1947) is an American former diplomat, ambassador, CIA analyst, lobbyist, and an expert on Pakistan affairs.
