---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's customary when great events happen…"
description: "\"It's customary when great events happen that the U.S. punishes its friends and rewards its enemies.\" — Ahmed Chalabi"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/ahmed-chalabi-18859_enemy_it-s-customary-when-great-events-happen_930477.png"
---

#  It's customary when great events happen that the U.S…

![“It's customary when great events happen that the U.S. punishes its friends and rewards its enemies.” quote by Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/ahmed-chalabi-18859_enemy_it-s-customary-when-great-events-happen_930477.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/ahmed-chalabi-18859_enemy_it-s-customary-when-great-events-happen_930477.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/ahmed-chalabi-18859_enemy_it-s-customary-when-great-events-happen_930477.png)

> “It's customary when great events happen that the U.S. punishes its friends and rewards its enemies.”

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

When major events occur, the United States often penalizes allies while rewarding adversaries.

**In simple terms:** US actions can punish friends and reward enemies during crises.

Key Takeaway

Beware of geopolitical double standards.

Themes

politics foreign policy power dynamics

Mood

critical skeptical

Type

analytical cautionary

When to use this quote

- diplomatic negotiations
- military interventions
- sanctions regimes

Key Concepts

realpolitik ethical paradox strategic interests

Questions to Reflect On

- Why might a nation act against its own allies?
- What are the long‑term effects of rewarding enemies?

A Different Perspective

The pattern can undermine trust and long‑term alliances.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/)

## Related quotes

> [I think even in a good marriage, especially if you stay together long enough, there are going to be events that happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/i-think-even-in-a-good-marriage-especially-if-you-stay-together-long/)

[Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/)

> [Time is like a river made up of the events which happen, and a violent stream; for as soon as a thing has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/time-is-like-a-river-made-up-of-the-events-which-happen-and-a-violent/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

> [Events do not happen; they are just there, and we come across them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-eddington/events-do-not-happen-they-are-just-there-and-we-come-across-them/)

[Arthur Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-eddington/)

> [Could it be that time is too narrow for all events? Could it happen that all the seats within time might have been sold?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-schulz/could-it-be-that-time-is-too-narrow-for-all-events-could-it-happen/)

[Bruno Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-schulz/)

> [Do not seek to have events happen as you want them to, but instead want them to happen as they do happen, and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/do-not-seek-to-have-events-happen-as-you-want-them-to-but-instead/)

[Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/)

> [There's very few people - like Shakespeare - who, no matter what, were gonna do what they did. For the rest of us, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/there-s-very-few-people-like-shakespeare-who-no-matter-what-were/)

[Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/)

> [Don't demand or expect that events happen as you would wish them do. Accept events as they actually happen. That way, peace is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/don-t-demand-or-expect-that-events-happen-as-you-would-wish-them-do/)

[Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/)

> [Miracles are merely events that happen just when they are needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/miracles-are-merely-events-that-happen-just-when-they-are-needed/)

[David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/)

> [Anything can happen in stock markets and you ought to conduct your affairs so that if the most extraordinary events happen, that you're still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/anything-can-happen-in-stock-markets-and-you-ought-to-conduct-your/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [“You cannot control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-cannot-control-all-the-events-that-happen-to-you-but-you-can/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [The sad events that occur in my life are the sad events that happen to everybody, with losing friends and family, but that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-aragones/the-sad-events-that-occur-in-my-life-are-the-sad-events-that-happen/)

[Sergio Aragones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-aragones/)

> [If it didn't happen in your life before, then you're not paying attention you don't think it's possible. But almost all important events never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/if-it-didn-t-happen-in-your-life-before-then-you-re-not-paying/)

[Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/)

> [It seems like all of my biggest life events happen when I'm actually at home in Cleveland around my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-gargano/it-seems-like-all-of-my-biggest-life-events-happen-when-i-m-actually/)

[Johnny Gargano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-gargano/)

> [You may not control all of the events that happen to you but you can decide not to be reduced by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-not-control-all-of-the-events-that-happen-to-you-but-you-can/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Don't seek to have events happen as you wish, but wish them to happen as they do happen, and all will be well with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/don-t-seek-to-have-events-happen-as-you-wish-but-wish-them-to-happen/)

[Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/)

## More by Ahmed Chalabi

> [We need a united front against Islamic State and Assad happens to be the decisive power that can fight them. But the situation is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/we-need-a-united-front-against-islamic-state-and-assad-happens-to-be/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

> [You know the most important thing the Americans did for Iraq apart from liberating the country from Saddam was helping Iraq reduce its debt.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/you-know-the-most-important-thing-the-americans-did-for-iraq-apart/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

> [... The meeting is called by the U.S. to give their vision of the interim Iraqi authority. It will be a one-day meeting. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/the-meeting-is-called-by-the-u-s-to-give-their-vision-of-the-interim/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

> [Maliki saw Islamic State as a way to exert pressure. If I am not re-elected, terror will befall you - that was his message.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/maliki-saw-islamic-state-as-a-way-to-exert-pressure-if-i-am-not-re/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

> [I did more than anyone else in persuading the U.S. to get rid of Saddam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/i-did-more-than-anyone-else-in-persuading-the-u-s-to-get-rid-of-saddam/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

> [We are not panicking because we know that Islamic State cannot conquer the capital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/we-are-not-panicking-because-we-know-that-islamic-state-cannot/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

> [The Kurds know that they won't achieve their own state by force of arms but through international recognition. And they have certainly heard what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/the-kurds-know-that-they-won-t-achieve-their-own-state-by-force-of/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

> [The view that we hold in Iraq now is this - that democracy is associated with elections. I believe that elections are possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/the-view-that-we-hold-in-iraq-now-is-this-that-democracy-is/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

> [All Iraqis can unite to defeat terrorism and can unite to rebuild the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/all-iraqis-can-unite-to-defeat-terrorism-and-can-unite-to-rebuild-the/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

> [To handle the economy and services in a country like Iraq requires delegation of authority and the choice of competent people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/to-handle-the-economy-and-services-in-a-country-like-iraq-requires/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

> [The battle against terrorism is not only a military fight but primarily a battle of information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/the-battle-against-terrorism-is-not-only-a-military-fight-but/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

> [What was said before is not important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/what-was-said-before-is-not-important/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

> [The issue of what my role in the - in persuading the Bush administration to go to war has been greatly exaggerated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/the-issue-of-what-my-role-in-the-in-persuading-the-bush/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

> [I don't think that they have many of the scientists who were involved in the weapons program to talk to at this time, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/i-don-t-think-that-they-have-many-of-the-scientists-who-were-involved/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

> [American companies will have a big shot at Iraqi oil,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/american-companies-will-have-a-big-shot-at-iraqi-oil/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

[Explore all 34 Ahmed Chalabi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

## More Enemy quotes

> [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/before-you-were-my-enemy-you-were-my-best-friend/)

[Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/)

> [It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-the-rule-in-war-if-our-forces-are-ten-to-the-enemy-s-one-to/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [Fear is a man's worst enemy, but love is a man's most powerful weapon against anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fear-is-a-man-s-worst-enemy-but-love-is-a-man-s-most-powerful-weapon/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/)

[Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/)

> [“Never let your Enemies become your Advocates.” by A. K. Hasan”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-k-hasan/never-let-your-enemies-become-your-advocates-by-a-k-hasan/)

A.K. Hasan

> [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power & movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-achieve-victory-we-must-mass-our-forces-at-the-hub-of-all-power/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't see why we and the Chinese should have to be enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-don-t-see-why-we-and-the-chinese-should-have-to-be-enemies/)

[Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/)

> [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/)

[Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/)

> [Perfection is the enemy of greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/perfection-is-the-enemy-of-greatness/)

[Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/)

> [In this business, you find the enemy, then go after and destroy him. Everything else is rubbish!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-rickenbacker/in-this-business-you-find-the-enemy-then-go-after-and-destroy-him/)

[Eddie Rickenbacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-rickenbacker/)

> [“Enemies Teach. Friends Preach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tapan-ghosh/enemies-teach-friends-preach/)

[Tapan Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tapan-ghosh/)

[Browse all 7,981 Enemy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's customary when great events happen that the U.S. punishes its friends and rewards its enemies.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ahmed Chalabi"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/it-s-customary-when-great-events-happen-that-the-u-s-punishes-its/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Enemy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/it-s-customary-when-great-events-happen-that-the-u-s-punishes-its/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/ahmed-chalabi-18859_enemy_it-s-customary-when-great-events-happen_930477.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/ahmed-chalabi-18859_enemy_it-s-customary-when-great-events-happen_930477.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/ahmed-chalabi-18859_enemy_it-s-customary-when-great-events-happen_930477.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's customary when great events happen that the U.S. punishes its friends and rewards its enemies.” — Ahmed Chalabi",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ahmed Chalabi",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's customary when great events happen...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/it-s-customary-when-great-events-happen-that-the-u-s-punishes-its/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/it-s-customary-when-great-events-happen-that-the-u-s-punishes-its/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```