Karl Rove Quotes

The invasion of Iraq, particularly, gave a big shot in the arm to the jihadi extremists.

We all recognize that the Mid-east is dissolving into crises, and we know terrorism did not start with 9-11.

IS [Islamic State] has played a major role in helping Bashar al-Assad to reposition Syria on the international scene. Now, it is almost impossible to come up with a solution that would exclude him. The political game appears to be very cynical indeed.

I think everybody realizes some things went wrong in the Middle East and that most of the terrorism is emanating from that area.

Usama bin Laden feels like Iraq is a part of this War on Terror. He has made it clear that he would like for us to leave before Iraq can defend itself or govern itself and sustain itself, so that he could have a safe haven from which to launch further attacks, a safe haven from which to topple modern governments, a safe haven from which to, you know, be able to get a hold of oil resources.

We must be certain that we all realize that our enemy is not an enemy that is located in one single place. There are terrorist cells all around the globe.

We see today that there is a growing understanding in the international community that the extremist regime in Tehran is not just Israel's problem, but rather an issue that the entire international community must grapple with.

Iraq... has also had contacts with al-Qaida. Their ties may be limited by divergent ideologies, but the two sides' mutual antipathy toward the United States and the Saudi royal family suggests that tactical cooperation between them is possible.

You can't ever make serious progress against terrorism unless you deal with Israel.

We've got to recognize that when we march into Iraq, we're setting up the card tables in front of every university in the Arab world, the Islamic world, to recruit for al-Qaida.

We can't afford to see Afghanistan roll backwards into a failed state that could become a base from which terrorist campaigns can be launched anywhere in the world.

Our fumbling government's response since Beirut - during both Republican and Democratic administrations - has been to cut and run, or to flat ignore this growing threat, apparently hoping it would go away.

We cannot win this war on terror if people are undercutting us. And one way to undercut us is to empower Iran.

The elimination of the barbaric terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is good news for the world.

ISIS is in many ways a creation of the Syrian regime.

There is no question that Iraq is one of the main problems. You'd have to be blind not to see what a magnet and generating force it's become for terrorist groups.

But Hezbollah now has reared its ugly head in a way that threatens the entire free world. And they want, by their own charter and definition, the destruction of Israel and Christians. That is the truth. That is in their charter.

The jihadists watch carefully what's happening in the Middle East and take heart, or lose heart, depending on what's happening.

We see what Hamas, what kind of this organization, how radicals, their ideology, and we see the consequences every day. You know, the rockets on Israel - and I don't know any other countries that they will accept reality with, every day, rockets on their towns, cities.

The fact is, the Middle East has been going crazy for 50, 60, 70 years. So it's not like, 'Oh, I need an ISIS joke.'

Terrorists are trained in Syria, and weapons come from Iran and Syria, and I believe that's something that should be stopped.

The U.S. must remember - as the Gadhafi loyalists have and Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh are now realizing - that it cannot get into bed with groups affiliated with the jihadist movement.

ISIS is the greatest threat.

Iran with a nuclear weapon or with fissile material that can be given to Hezbollah or Hamas or others has the potential of not just destabilizing the Middle East. But it could be brought here.

A victory for the Taliban in Afghanistan would have catastrophic consequences for the world - particularly for South Asia, for Central Asia, and for the Middle East.