--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Guerrilla war is a test of wills. Obama's…" description: "\"Guerrilla war is a test of wills. Obama's actual objectives - rollback in Iraq, containment in Syria - are not unreasonable. But they require commitmen..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51f/charles-krauthammer-1232_commitment_guerrilla-war-is-a-test-of-wills-obama-s_231288.png" --- # Guerrilla war is a test of wills. Obama's actual… ![“Guerrilla war is a test of wills. Obama's actual objectives - rollback in Iraq, containment in Syria - are not unreasonable. But they require commitment and determination. In other words, will. You can't just make one speech declaring war, then disappear and go fundraising.” quote by Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51f/charles-krauthammer-1232_commitment_guerrilla-war-is-a-test-of-wills-obama-s_231288.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51f/charles-krauthammer-1232_commitment_guerrilla-war-is-a-test-of-wills-obama-s_231288.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51f/charles-krauthammer-1232_commitment_guerrilla-war-is-a-test-of-wills-obama-s_231288.png) > “Guerrilla war is a test of wills. Obama's actual objectives - rollback in Iraq, containment in Syria - are not unreasonable. But they require commitment and determination. In other words, will. You can't just make one speech declaring war, then disappear and go fundraising.” [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War requires sustained resolve; short‑term rhetoric without follow‑through fails. **In simple terms:** War needs ongoing commitment, not just words. Key Takeaway Maintain consistent policy and effort. Themes politics war commitment policy leadership Mood cautious serious analytical Type political strategic When to use this quote - government speeches - legislative debates - military planning - public fundraising Key Concepts strategic persistence public trust military engagement Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders ensure policies survive beyond election cycles? - What mechanisms enforce accountability for war commitments? A Different Perspective Long‑term goals may be undermined by shifting political priorities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Commitment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commitment/) [Containment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/containment/) [Declaring war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/declaring-war/) [Determination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determination/) [Fundraising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundraising/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Guerrilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guerrilla/) [Guerrillas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guerrillas/) [Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Syria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/syria/) [Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Guerrilla war is a kind of war waged by the few but dependent on the support of many.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart/guerrilla-war-is-a-kind-of-war-waged-by-the-few-but-dependent-on-the/) [B. H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart/) > [ \[Francisco Franco\] said they should resort to guerrilla war. Which has a history in Spain. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/francisco-franco-said-they-should-resort-to-guerrilla-war-which-has-a/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“Guerrilla war is the war of the broad masses of an economically backward country standing up against a powerfully equipped and well trained army.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-wylie/guerrilla-war-is-the-war-of-the-broad-masses-of-an-economically/) [J.C. Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-wylie/) > [Was Castro sincere when, during his guerrilla war, he swore that he was not a Communist? If so, when did he change, and why?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/was-castro-sincere-when-during-his-guerrilla-war-he-swore-that-he-was/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Vietnam presumably taught us that the United States could not serve as the world's policeman; it should also have taught us the dangers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/vietnam-presumably-taught-us-that-the-united-states-could-not-serve/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [“A revolutionary war is never confined within the bounds of military action. Because its purpose is to destroy an existing society and its institutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-marshall/a-revolutionary-war-is-never-confined-within-the-bounds-of-military/) [Sebastian Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-marshall/) > [ William R. Polk discusses the Spanish guerrilla war against Napoleon \[ Bonaparte\] and other cases where the conflict turns into a political war, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/william-r-polk-discusses-the-spanish-guerrilla-war-against-napoleon/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [In a guerrilla war, the line between legitimate and illegitimate killing is blurred. The policies of free-fire zones, in which a soldier is permitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/in-a-guerrilla-war-the-line-between-legitimate-and-illegitimate/) [Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/) > [The United States can certainly defeat North Vietnam, but the United States cannot defeat a guerrilla war which is being raged from a sanctuary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/the-united-states-can-certainly-defeat-north-vietnam-but-the-united/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [Needless to say, they refused to submit to the Empire, conducting such a persistent guerrilla war that the Romans gave up hope of conquering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/needless-to-say-they-refused-to-submit-to-the-empire-conducting-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [What bin Laden had hoped to achieve in Afghanistan in the post-9/11 period, which was to drag the United States into a protracted guerrilla…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/what-bin-laden-had-hoped-to-achieve-in-afghanistan-in-the-post-9-11/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [We fought a military war; our opponents fought a political one. We sought physical attrition; our opponents aimed for our psychological exhaustion. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-fought-a-military-war-our-opponents-fought-a-political-one-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“For more than a decade, the United States had been giving large-scale military aid to the French colonialists, and then to the American-installed but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-s-greenberg/for-more-than-a-decade-the-united-states-had-been-giving-large-scale/) [Edward S. Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-s-greenberg/) > [ The Constitution expressly and exclusively vests in the Legislature the power of declaring a state of war \[and\] the power of raising armies… A… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-constitution-expressly-and-exclusively-vests-in-the-legislature/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [The power of declaring war being with the Legislature, the Executive should do nothing necessarily committing them to decide for war in preference of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-power-of-declaring-war-being-with-the-legislature-the-executive/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More by Charles Krauthammer > [Obama and the Democrats were so critical of what Bush did, the interrogations, the secret prisons, Guantanamo and all of that, and even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/obama-and-the-democrats-were-so-critical-of-what-bush-did-the/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“America is the most welcoming, religiously tolerant, philo-semitic country in the world. 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You might have argued that in the thirties when conservatives opposed the New Deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/the-conservative-idea-is-not-that-government-has-no-role-you-might/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [The war is not going well and it is time to say why. It has been fought with half-measures. It has been fought with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/the-war-is-not-going-well-and-it-is-time-to-say-why-it-has-been/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“International stability is never a given. It is never the norm. When achieved, it is the product of self-conscious action by the great powers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/international-stability-is-never-a-given-it-is-never-the-norm-when/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Look, I don't mind if the President sends a budget which he knows is not going to achieve anything. But when he prefaces his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/look-i-don-t-mind-if-the-president-sends-a-budget-which-he-knows-is/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“Politics is the moat, the walls, beyond which lie the barbarians. Fail to keep them at bay, and everything burns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/politics-is-the-moat-the-walls-beyond-which-lie-the-barbarians-fail/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Don't touch my junk, you airport security goon--my package belongs to no one but me, and do you really think I'm a Nigerian nut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/don-t-touch-my-junk-you-airport-security-goon-my-package-belongs-to/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“The Russian Revolution and its imitators (Chinese, Cuban, Vietnamese, Cambodian) tried to atomize society so thoroughly--to war against the mediating structures that stand between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/the-russian-revolution-and-its-imitators-chinese-cuban-vietnamese/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Where religion is trivialized, one is unlikely to find persecution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/where-religion-is-trivialized-one-is-unlikely-to-find-persecution/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [We must now brace ourselves for disquisitions on peer pressure, adolescent anomie, and rage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/we-must-now-brace-ourselves-for-disquisitions-on-peer-pressure/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Post-Watergate morality, by which anything left private is taken as presumptive evidence of wrongdoing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/post-watergate-morality-by-which-anything-left-private-is-taken-as/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“The largest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity,' warns Czech president Vaclav Klaus, 'is no longer socialism. It is, instead, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/the-largest-threat-to-freedom-democracy-the-market-economy-and/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) [Explore all 268 Charles Krauthammer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) ## More Commitment quotes > [Deepen your existing spiritual commitment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-buettner/deepen-your-existing-spiritual-commitment/) [Dan Buettner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-buettner/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [“You make me believe in happiness... if I had my way, if anything were up to me, I’d never be without you. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-kirchoff/you-make-me-believe-in-happiness-if-i-had-my-way-if-anything-were-up/) [Courtney Kirchoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-kirchoff/) > [Golf is such a big commitment, and so is acting. Sometimes you have to give up something to do something else, although, when I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-newton/golf-is-such-a-big-commitment-and-so-is-acting-sometimes-you-have-to/) [Kathryn Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-newton/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [When you make a commitment to a relationship, you invest your attention and energy in it more profoundly because you now experience ownership of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-de-angelis/when-you-make-a-commitment-to-a-relationship-you-invest-your/) [Barbara De Angelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-de-angelis/) > [ “For \[erotically intelligent couples\], love is a vessel that contains both security and adventure, and commitment offers one of the great luxuries of life:… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-erotically-intelligent-couples-love-is-a-vessel-that-contains/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [Having a point to start is important. You know that when you decide to write something it's like a commitment. It's like falling in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/having-a-point-to-start-is-important-you-know-that-when-you-decide-to/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [A commitment to lifelong learning is a natural expression of the practice of living consciously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/a-commitment-to-lifelong-learning-is-a-natural-expression-of-the/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [A lasting relationship consists of the 3 C's: Commitment. Communication. Compromise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/a-lasting-relationship-consists-of-the-3-c-s-commitment-communication/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I've developed a huge regard for Toyota for its environmental awareness, for its immense commitment to research and development in this field, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-strong/i-ve-developed-a-huge-regard-for-toyota-for-its-environmental/) [Maurice Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-strong/) > [And the commitment that I've been giving to the Australian people is that there'll be no surprises and no excuses under a Coalition government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/and-the-commitment-that-i-ve-been-giving-to-the-australian-people-is/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) [Browse all 4,004 Commitment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commitment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Guerrilla war is a test of wills. 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