--- title: "9 Only Quotes By Peter Bergen" description: "9 Only quotes by Peter Bergen. Plus more from Peter Bergen and more Only sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ba/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_i-was-the-only-outsider-to-visit-the-abb_205299.png" --- > [I was the only outsider to visit the Abbottabad compound where bin Laden lived before the Pakistani military demolished it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/i-was-the-only-outsider-to-visit-the-abbottabad-compound-where-bin/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ba/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_i-was-the-only-outsider-to-visit-the-abb_205299.png) > [Officials in the George W. Bush administration later criticized the cruise missile strikes that were ordered by President Bill Clinton in Afghanistan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/officials-in-the-george-w-bush-administration-later-criticized-the/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd0/peter-bergen-1880_afghanistan_officials-in-the-george-w-bush-administr_1622013.png) > [McMaster, 54, is the smartest and most capable military officer of his generation, one who has not only led American victories on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/mcmaster-54-is-the-smartest-and-most-capable-military-officer-of-his/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/peter-bergen-1880_american_mcmaster-54-is-the-smartest-and-most-cap_574127.png) > [In the past, Joint Special Operations Command, or JSOC, of which SEAL Team 6 is a key component, has only launched ground…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/in-the-past-joint-special-operations-command-or-jsoc-of-which-seal/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/peter-bergen-1880_israel_in-the-past-joint-special-operations-com_1325698.jpg) > [Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the two brothers who carried out the marathon bombing, was a non-practicing Muslim who only became an Islamist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/tamerlan-tsarnaev-one-of-the-two-brothers-who-carried-out-the/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/peter-bergen-1880_dreams_tamerlan-tsarnaev-one-of-the-two-brother_2517215.jpg) > [The only lethal terrorist to immigrate to the United States as an adult and conduct an attack shortly after arriving is Tashfeen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-only-lethal-terrorist-to-immigrate-to-the-united-states-as-an/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/059/peter-bergen-1880_attack_the-only-lethal-terrorist-to-immigrate-t_2351735.png) > [In February I secured permission to enter Osama bin Laden's compound in the northern Pakistani city of Abbottabad, where he was killed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/in-february-i-secured-permission-to-enter-osama-bin-laden-s-compound/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_in-february-i-secured-permission-to-ente_1876339.jpg) > [Because Scotland and Northern Ireland want to remain part of the E.U., there is the quite real possibility that Scotland and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/because-scotland-and-northern-ireland-want-to-remain-part-of-the-e-u/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c15/peter-bergen-1880_ireland_because-scotland-and-northern-ireland-wa_2869119.png) > [In Syria, a no-fly zone targeted at Assad's air force and safe zones for refugees fleeing the fighting would help tamp down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/in-syria-a-no-fly-zone-targeted-at-assad-s-air-force-and-safe-zones/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/peter-bergen-1880_air-force_in-syria-a-no-fly-zone-targeted-at-assad_1825960.png) ## Other authors on Only ## More by Peter Bergen > [So Pakistan is a country that I'm very fond of and have spent a lot of time, but it is a country where conspiracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/so-pakistan-is-a-country-that-i-m-very-fond-of-and-have-spent-a-lot/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The Trump administration launched the cruise missile strikes in Syria, an act of war, without a U.N. resolution or Congressional authorization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-trump-administration-launched-the-cruise-missile-strikes-in-syria/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The deep problems that afflict the Middle East are not easy to fix, but they must be dealt with if we are not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-deep-problems-that-afflict-the-middle-east-are-not-easy-to-fix/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The dirty little secret of the intelligence world is that much of what you really need to know isn't exactly a secret anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-dirty-little-secret-of-the-intelligence-world-is-that-much-of/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Abedi appears to be one of the many thousands of Western Muslims who have embraced militant Islam, often as a way of trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/abedi-appears-to-be-one-of-the-many-thousands-of-western-muslims-who/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Trump has claimed he knows more about ISIS than America's leading generals. Clearly, this is also total nonsense; he doesn't seem to have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/trump-has-claimed-he-knows-more-about-isis-than-america-s-leading/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [If you don't understand what al Qaeda was trying to do on 9/11, if you don't have a sense of who Osama bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/if-you-don-t-understand-what-al-qaeda-was-trying-to-do-on-9-11-if-you/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [As early as 1993, members of bin Laden's group had been planning an attack on the American Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/as-early-as-1993-members-of-bin-laden-s-group-had-been-planning-an/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The reality is that Trump's focus on immigrants is to misconceive of the terrorist problem that exists in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-reality-is-that-trump-s-focus-on-immigrants-is-to-misconceive-of/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [ISIS despises the Russian government for its support of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, and so it's no surprise that ISIS began targeting Russia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/isis-despises-the-russian-government-for-its-support-of-the-syrian/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The Sunni militants that make up ISIS are not the underlying problem in Syria and Iraq, but rather they are a symptom of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-sunni-militants-that-make-up-isis-are-not-the-underlying-problem/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Keeping a relatively small, predominantly U.S. Special Forces presence in Afghanistan to continue to train the Afghan army past December 2016 is a wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/keeping-a-relatively-small-predominantly-u-s-special-forces-presence/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [One of the themes of 'The Longest War,' my book, which came out before the Arab spring happened, was how al-Qaida and bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/one-of-the-themes-of-the-longest-war-my-book-which-came-out-before/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Because 9/11 was carried out by 19 foreign-born Arab hijackers, many assume that all terrorists who attack the West are foreigners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/because-9-11-was-carried-out-by-19-foreign-born-arab-hijackers-many/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [I was the only outsider to visit the Abbottabad compound where bin Laden lived before the Pakistani military demolished it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/i-was-the-only-outsider-to-visit-the-abbottabad-compound-where-bin/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/peter-bergen/#itemlist", "name": "9 Only Quotes By Peter Bergen", "numberOfItems": 9, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was the only outsider to visit the Abbottabad compound where bin Laden lived before the Pakistani military demolished it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Bergen" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/i-was-the-only-outsider-to-visit-the-abbottabad-compound-where-bin/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ba/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_i-was-the-only-outsider-to-visit-the-abb_205299.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ba/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_i-was-the-only-outsider-to-visit-the-abb_205299.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ba/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_i-was-the-only-outsider-to-visit-the-abb_205299.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was the only outsider to visit the Abbottabad compound where bin Laden lived before the Pakistani military…” — Peter Bergen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Officials in the George W. 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At the time of the attack, he was unemployed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Bergen" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/tamerlan-tsarnaev-one-of-the-two-brothers-who-carried-out-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/peter-bergen-1880_dreams_tamerlan-tsarnaev-one-of-the-two-brother_2517215.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/peter-bergen-1880_dreams_tamerlan-tsarnaev-one-of-the-two-brother_2517215.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/peter-bergen-1880_dreams_tamerlan-tsarnaev-one-of-the-two-brother_2517215.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the two brothers who carried out the marathon bombing, was a non-practicing Muslim…” — Peter Bergen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only lethal terrorist to immigrate to the United States as an adult and conduct an attack shortly after arriving is Tashfeen Malik, who was born in Pakistan.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Bergen" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-only-lethal-terrorist-to-immigrate-to-the-united-states-as-an/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/059/peter-bergen-1880_attack_the-only-lethal-terrorist-to-immigrate-t_2351735.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/059/peter-bergen-1880_attack_the-only-lethal-terrorist-to-immigrate-t_2351735.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/059/peter-bergen-1880_attack_the-only-lethal-terrorist-to-immigrate-t_2351735.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only lethal terrorist to immigrate to the United States as an adult and conduct an attack shortly after…” — Peter Bergen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In February I secured permission to enter Osama bin Laden's compound in the northern Pakistani city of Abbottabad, where he was killed and where he had lived for the last half-decade of his life; the first, and only, journalist to do so.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Bergen" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/in-february-i-secured-permission-to-enter-osama-bin-laden-s-compound/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_in-february-i-secured-permission-to-ente_1876339.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_in-february-i-secured-permission-to-ente_1876339.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_in-february-i-secured-permission-to-ente_1876339.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In February I secured permission to enter Osama bin Laden's compound in the northern Pakistani city of…” — Peter Bergen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Because Scotland and Northern Ireland want to remain part of the E.U., there is the quite real possibility that Scotland and even Northern Ireland might now choose to go their own way on membership within the E.U. and the 'United Kingdom' would suddenly effectively be only England and Wales.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Bergen" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/because-scotland-and-northern-ireland-want-to-remain-part-of-the-e-u/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c15/peter-bergen-1880_ireland_because-scotland-and-northern-ireland-wa_2869119.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c15/peter-bergen-1880_ireland_because-scotland-and-northern-ireland-wa_2869119.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c15/peter-bergen-1880_ireland_because-scotland-and-northern-ireland-wa_2869119.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Because Scotland and Northern Ireland want to remain part of the E.U., there is the quite real possibility…” — Peter Bergen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In Syria, a no-fly zone targeted at Assad's air force and safe zones for refugees fleeing the fighting would help tamp down the death toll that plays into the hands of ISIS and other Sunni militants who can position themselves as the only groups that are really defending the Sunni population.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Bergen" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/in-syria-a-no-fly-zone-targeted-at-assad-s-air-force-and-safe-zones/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/peter-bergen-1880_air-force_in-syria-a-no-fly-zone-targeted-at-assad_1825960.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/peter-bergen-1880_air-force_in-syria-a-no-fly-zone-targeted-at-assad_1825960.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/peter-bergen-1880_air-force_in-syria-a-no-fly-zone-targeted-at-assad_1825960.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In Syria, a no-fly zone targeted at Assad's air force and safe zones for refugees fleeing the fighting would…” — Peter Bergen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/peter-bergen/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/peter-bergen/", "name": "Only Quotes by Peter Bergen", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/peter-bergen/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ba/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_i-was-the-only-outsider-to-visit-the-abb_205299.png" }, "description": "9 Only quotes by Peter Bergen. 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