--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The biggest mistake Barack Obama could…" description: "\"The biggest mistake Barack Obama could have made is to change quite a few things in his Afghanistan policy. He increased the number of troops and at th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/ahmed-rashid-19311_afghanistan_the-biggest-mistake-barack-obama-could-h_2179346.jpg" --- # The biggest mistake Barack Obama could have made is to… ![“The biggest mistake Barack Obama could have made is to change quite a few things in his Afghanistan policy. He increased the number of troops and at the same time set the US withdrawal date to 2014. Now the United States has to ensure that Afghanistan does not immediately collapse after being left…” quote by Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/ahmed-rashid-19311_afghanistan_the-biggest-mistake-barack-obama-could-h_2179346.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/ahmed-rashid-19311_afghanistan_the-biggest-mistake-barack-obama-could-h_2179346.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/ahmed-rashid-19311_afghanistan_the-biggest-mistake-barack-obama-could-h_2179346.jpg) > “The biggest mistake Barack Obama could have made is to change quite a few things in his Afghanistan policy. He increased the number of troops and at the same time set the US withdrawal date to 2014. Now the United States has to ensure that Afghanistan does not immediately collapse after being left to itself in 2014.” [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Obama’s policy shift increased troops but set an early withdrawal, risking post‑withdrawal collapse. **In simple terms:** Policy increased troops, set early exit. Key Takeaway Plan for sustainable stability beyond military timelines. Themes foreign policy military strategy Afghanistan Mood cautious analytical Type policy strategic When to use this quote - diplomacy - military planning - aid programs - NGO work Key Concepts withdrawal timing state building regional stability Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can prevent collapse after troop removal? - How can international actors support Afghan governance? A Different Perspective Premature withdrawal can destabilize fragile societies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afghanistan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) [Biggest mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biggest-mistake/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) ## Related quotes > [We're here so that Afghanistan does not once again become a sanctuary for transnational extremists the way it was when al-Qaeda planned the 9/11…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-petraeus/we-re-here-so-that-afghanistan-does-not-once-again-become-a-sanctuary/) [David Petraeus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-petraeus/) > [Afghanistan does have an air force: It has two C-130s. I saw one of them. It was nice, a gift from the United States.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/afghanistan-does-have-an-air-force-it-has-two-c-130s-i-saw-one-of/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [Al Qaeda is almost all in Pakistan, and Pakistan has nuclear weapons. And yet for every dollar we're spending in Pakistan, we're spending $30…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/al-qaeda-is-almost-all-in-pakistan-and-pakistan-has-nuclear-weapons/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [Obama can't change his cool disposition, though it would be nice if he lost the vaguely grudging air he gives off that problems of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/obama-can-t-change-his-cool-disposition-though-it-would-be-nice-if-he/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [We must believe, but we can't believe. Perhaps this is the tragedy that some of us see in Obama: a change we can believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-critchley/we-must-believe-but-we-can-t-believe-perhaps-this-is-the-tragedy-that/) [Simon Critchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-critchley/) > [I think America has a bad rap right now... and hopefully Obama will change that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-cusack/i-think-america-has-a-bad-rap-right-now-and-hopefully-obama-will/) [Joan Cusack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-cusack/) > [Unfortunately, as inspiring as people find Barack Obama, change can be interpreted in so many different ways. I think he might do a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immortal-technique/unfortunately-as-inspiring-as-people-find-barack-obama-change-can-be/) [Immortal Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immortal-technique/) > [ By 2016, the people who had looked to \[Barack\] Obama for change were looking somewhere else. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/by-2016-the-people-who-had-looked-to-barack-obama-for-change-were/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The 'Women on 20s' movement hopes to put pressure on President Obama to change U.S. currency, though it's ultimately up to the Treasury Secretary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-jackson/the-women-on-20s-movement-hopes-to-put-pressure-on-president-obama-to/) [Hallie Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-jackson/) > [Under Barack Obama, the only 'Change' is that 'Hope' has been hard to find. Now millions of Americans are insecure about their future. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/under-barack-obama-the-only-change-is-that-hope-has-been-hard-to-find/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [I am confident that there are hedge funds, banks or investment companies that could allocate five percent of their portfolios for risky investments. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/i-am-confident-that-there-are-hedge-funds-banks-or-investment/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [“Afghanistan is not only the mirror of the Afghans: it is the mirror of the world. 'If you do not like the image in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/afghanistan-is-not-only-the-mirror-of-the-afghans-it-is-the-mirror-of/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [The idea of a permanent U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, as opposed to an economic presence, is going to create a new wave of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/the-idea-of-a-permanent-u-s-military-presence-in-afghanistan-as/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [America does not hold to the colonial tradition. America came, liberated Afghanistan from the Taliban and al-Qaida, came to an arrangement with Hamid Karzai,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/america-does-not-hold-to-the-colonial-tradition-america-came/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [You have a lot of suspicion from the neighbors of Afghanistan about U.S. intentions. Iran is already, to some extent, trying to undermine the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/you-have-a-lot-of-suspicion-from-the-neighbors-of-afghanistan-about-u/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) ## More by Ahmed Rashid > [You have a lot of suspicion from the neighbors of Afghanistan about U.S. intentions. Iran is already, to some extent, trying to undermine the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/you-have-a-lot-of-suspicion-from-the-neighbors-of-afghanistan-about-u/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [America does not hold to the colonial tradition. America came, liberated Afghanistan from the Taliban and al-Qaida, came to an arrangement with Hamid Karzai,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/america-does-not-hold-to-the-colonial-tradition-america-came/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [The idea of a permanent U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, as opposed to an economic presence, is going to create a new wave of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/the-idea-of-a-permanent-u-s-military-presence-in-afghanistan-as/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [“Afghanistan is not only the mirror of the Afghans: it is the mirror of the world. 'If you do not like the image in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/afghanistan-is-not-only-the-mirror-of-the-afghans-it-is-the-mirror-of/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [Pashtun nationalism is reasserting itself. Its political history spans several hundred years. The Pashtuns are angry at the Americans because, one, they're still being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/pashtun-nationalism-is-reasserting-itself-its-political-history-spans/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [There is no way the Americans are going to be able to carry out a full scale war against Iraq and at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/there-is-no-way-the-americans-are-going-to-be-able-to-carry-out-a/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [Our Pakistan elites are spoiled by permanent foreign aid and therefore find it difficult to change course. Pakistan needs someone who stands up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/our-pakistan-elites-are-spoiled-by-permanent-foreign-aid-and/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [“Within a few short, dramatic months Afghanistan had been catapulted into the centre of the intensified Cold War between the Soviet Union and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/within-a-few-short-dramatic-months-afghanistan-had-been-catapulted/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [I am confident that there are hedge funds, banks or investment companies that could allocate five percent of their portfolios for risky investments. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/i-am-confident-that-there-are-hedge-funds-banks-or-investment/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [The Pashtuns feel discriminated against by the Americans because they supported the Taliban and the war is still going on in their region with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/the-pashtuns-feel-discriminated-against-by-the-americans-because-they/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [I think within a year or so, perhaps, if 9/11 had not happened, in Afghanistan would have been a very broad-based general uprising against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/i-think-within-a-year-or-so-perhaps-if-9-11-had-not-happened-in/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [We should remember that the Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. Of course, many of them did support the Taliban. But you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/we-should-remember-that-the-pashtuns-are-the-largest-ethnic-group-in/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [What everyone underestimated was the acute unpopularity of the Taliban, even in the Pashtun areas. People like myself were saying the Taliban would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/what-everyone-underestimated-was-the-acute-unpopularity-of-the/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [The Soviets held to the tradition of colonialism. They raped the country and killed many people. But they also built dams, electrical power plants,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/the-soviets-held-to-the-tradition-of-colonialism-they-raped-the/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [ I met a lot of the senior Taliban, and I asked them precisely \[about Mullah Omar\]. The most common answer was he is humble.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/i-met-a-lot-of-the-senior-taliban-and-i-asked-them-precisely-about/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) [Explore all 33 Ahmed Rashid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) ## More Afghanistan quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [They're criminals, they brutalized Afghanistan, they killed our people, they destroyed our land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamid-karzai/they-re-criminals-they-brutalized-afghanistan-they-killed-our-people/) [Hamid Karzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamid-karzai/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The terrorist attacks of September 11th and the courageous actions of our armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq remind us that friends of tyranny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-levin/the-terrorist-attacks-of-september-11th-and-the-courageous-actions-of/) [Carl Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-levin/) > [According to a recent Harvard study, $6 trillion, when you include the ongoing healthcare expenses for our wounded soldiers, which is the least they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/according-to-a-recent-harvard-study-6-trillion-when-you-include-the/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [You don't bargain with terrorists. You don't appease terrorists. And anybody who believes that this is about something we've done has to ask themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/you-don-t-bargain-with-terrorists-you-don-t-appease-terrorists-and/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [“I stood with my mom in the cemetery. She felt terrible pain. My grandmother is with God. My mom has to continue living. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-stood-with-my-mom-in-the-cemetery-she-felt-terrible-pain-my/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [The most successful cultural diplomacy strategy integrates people-to-people or arts/culture/media-to-people interactions into the basic business of diplomacy. The programs in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-p-schneider/the-most-successful-cultural-diplomacy-strategy-integrates-people-to/) [Cynthia P. Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-p-schneider/) > [Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/because-iran-understands-afghanistan-far-better-than-americans-do/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Thousands of Americans have given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq upholding their oaths and defending this nation. Chelsea Manning broke her oath and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/thousands-of-americans-have-given-their-lives-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [I have been to Afghanistan many times, even before the Taliban collapsed. I was fascinated by the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-khan/i-have-been-to-afghanistan-many-times-even-before-the-taliban/) [Kabir Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-khan/) > [There has been sort of, if you will, a moral interventionism on the part of the United States trying to reshape countries in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/there-has-been-sort-of-if-you-will-a-moral-interventionism-on-the/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The legal system in Afghanistan is very immature and porous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/the-legal-system-in-afghanistan-is-very-immature-and-porous/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) [Browse all 1,159 Afghanistan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The biggest mistake Barack Obama could have made is to change quite a few things in his Afghanistan policy. 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