Anthony Zinni Quotations

There are certainly generals out there who don't like me speaking out.

We grow up in a culture where accountability, learning to accept responsibility, admitting mistakes and learning from them was critical to us. When we don't see that happening it worries us. Poor military judgment has been used throughout this mission.

The refueling of that ship in Aden, ... ...Was my decision. I pass the buck on to nobody.

Yet, here we are, long and difficult years into that conflict," ... "we still have not created the state we promised them. On the contrary, our costly and valiant efforts have produced an outcome our government did not predict or intend-a failed state spinning out of control into anarchy and civil war.

We will pay for this [climate change] one way or another. We will pay to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions today and we'll have to take an enormous hit of some kind. Or we will pay the price later in military terms. And that will involve human lives. There will be a human toll. There is no way out of this that does not have real costs attached to it.

In the lead up to the Iraq war and its later conduct, I saw at a minimum, true dereliction, negligence and irresponsibility, at worse, lying, incompetence and corruption.

I think that before you take on nation building in your mind's eye as to how it should be, you'd better have a clear understanding if this is doable and will work.

I think the Mogadishu effect, if I had to define it, is we need to be more careful where we decide to commit US forces, and for what reason, and to make a clear judgment as to what we can and can't do and whether it's in our interests, or we could afford the resources that it would take to make the situation right.

You have to give everybody another recourse as some means other than violence, no matter how distasteful it may be to have to deal with them and what they represent.

Service rivalry leads to service pride, which is good for building morale and esprit.

I think it's (Israeli pressure for invading Iraq) the worst kept secret in Washington, everybody I talked to in Washington has known and fully knows what their agenda was and what they were trying to do; because I mentioned the Neo-Conservatives who describe themselves as Neo-Conservatives, I was called, Anti-Semitic.

The United Nations offers international legitimacy in what we might do.

If you put two brigades on the ground right now with U.S. forces, they would push ISIS back into Syria in a heartbeat.

I would say we're within a week or so. We're ready now but there are a few more pieces to put in.

I think both sides have suffered far too much in the last months, and I think it's time for a change,

That decentralization was done so they insured they had control, ... I think it was done more for internal reasons and internal military problems they thought they might have than for any military preparations they had for us.

I think, clearly, he is trying to lure us into a possible shoot-down situation, and we are taking every measure to prevent that.

We are the world's leader. We fill a void. There is no one out there that even comes close to filling the leadership role that we have, and some of the moral responsibilities that we have.

We are not seeing a great deal of enthusiasm to engage directly, ... I think these are all attempts to lure us in, to certainly not get close.

We are taking action based on what Saddam's doing,

Attacking Iraq now will cause a lot of problems,

I sense everyone is committed to get out of this terrible situation. I think in the next few days we can start on my mission and the implementation of the plan that we've brought.

The threat conditions in Aden were better than elsewhere,

the things that keep him in power and enable him to inflict the kind of pain he does on his own people and others in the region.

a cease-fire is what we need to get to something more comprehensive and lasting.

It might be interesting to wonder why all the generals see it in the same way, and all those, who never fired a shot in anger and really held back to go to war, see it in a different way. That's usually the way it is in history.

I made four visits to Yemen, ... And two of those were to Aden.

I met Mr. Rosen once at a dinner while I was the envoy. It was a casual event and we discussed the process I was then involved in. The dinner was with four others.

I'm convinced both sides made a commitment to this, and we have made a commitment to help in this process, and I think it's important for everyone on all sides -- all citizens -- to commit to this.

in the strongest possible terms the vicious and evil terrorist attacks in Jerusalem.

The danger here is, I don't see a lot of viability in the opposition groups.

a lot of work to do, but if I didn't think he would make progress, I wouldn't have asked him to go.