The Iraqis need help establishing a government. We have to provide them with security.
Brent ScowcroftAfter the '30s, we said, "no more Munichs." And it got us in a lot of problems. Then we said, "No more Vietnams." Now if we say, "No more Iraqs," the next one won't be an Iraq. It will be something different. You can't learn lessons.
Brent ScowcroftAmerica has never seen itself as a national state like all others, but rather as an experiment in human freedom and democracy.
Brent ScowcroftBut the central point is that any campaign against Iraq, whatever the strategy, cost and risks, is certain to divert us for some indefinite period from our war on terrorism.
Brent ScowcroftFor most of mankind, the average person knew what was happening in his own village and the next one, and nothing beyond that, and he didn't care, so that leaders were able to guide their countries almost irrespective of what people really thought because they weren't involved in it. Now, everybody knows what's happening instantaneously.
Brent Scowcroft