--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believed Afghanistan was always going…" description: "\"I believed Afghanistan was always going to be hard. It's the fifth poorest country in the world. And when you fly over it, you realize that there's not..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/condoleezza-rice-807_afghanistan_i-believed-afghanistan-was-always-going_122742.jpg" --- # I believed Afghanistan was always going to be hard. It's… ![“I believed Afghanistan was always going to be hard. It's the fifth poorest country in the world. And when you fly over it, you realize that there's not much there. And, of course, it has the problem, too, of being on that border with Pakistan in basically an ungoverned region that has given the…” quote by Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/condoleezza-rice-807_afghanistan_i-believed-afghanistan-was-always-going_122742.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/condoleezza-rice-807_afghanistan_i-believed-afghanistan-was-always-going_122742.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/condoleezza-rice-807_afghanistan_i-believed-afghanistan-was-always-going_122742.jpg) > “I believed Afghanistan was always going to be hard. It's the fifth poorest country in the world. And when you fly over it, you realize that there's not much there. And, of course, it has the problem, too, of being on that border with Pakistan in basically an ungoverned region that has given the terrorists a staging ground. So it's a very difficult place. But I do believe that the mission there can succeed if success is defined as helping the Afghans to prevent the Taliban from being an existential threat to the Afghan government.” [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Afghanistan’s challenges stem from poverty, geography, and governance gaps; success hinges on strengthening Afghan capacity to resist Taliban threats rather than external military dominance. **In simple terms:** Afghan stability depends on local resilience against the Taliban. Key Takeaway Effective aid focuses on empowering local actors. Themes geopolitics development security policy Mood pragmatic cautious Type policy analysis When to use this quote - planning foreign aid programs - evaluating counter‑terrorism strategies - training Afghan security forces Key Concepts state capacity regional instability Practical Applications - invest in local governance and education - support border security cooperation Questions to Reflect On - What realistic benchmarks can measure progress in Afghanistan? - How can neighboring countries contribute to stability? A Different Perspective Success metrics are vague; “preventing an existential threat” may be unrealistic without broader regional solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afghanistan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) [Afghanistan Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan-going-1274024/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believed Afghanistan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-afghanistan-1428018/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Existential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existential/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Helping Afghans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping-afghans-1428022/) [I believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/over-it/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Succeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeed/) [Taliban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taliban/) [Taliban Existential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taliban-existential-1428020/) [Terrorist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorist/) [Threat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threat/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“One only had to go to Kabul airport to see a classic example of the aid community helping itself rather than Afghans. The scariest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-lamb/one-only-had-to-go-to-kabul-airport-to-see-a-classic-example-of-the/) [Christina Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-lamb/) > [Afghanistan is going to be here a long time, and what's critical is that Afghanistan's relationship with its neighbors are, to the maximum extent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/afghanistan-is-going-to-be-here-a-long-time-and-what-s-critical-is/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [We're pursuing a strategic partnership with Afghanistan on the case of the United States and Afghanistan where we're going to push toward a future.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/we-re-pursuing-a-strategic-partnership-with-afghanistan-on-the-case/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [Now, here we are, and we have Obama in office, and he has drawn down forces in Iraq - which is a plan that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scahill/now-here-we-are-and-we-have-obama-in-office-and-he-has-drawn-down/) [Jeremy Scahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scahill/) > [Especially right after 9/11. Especially when the war in Afghanistan is going on. There was a real sense that you don't get that critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/especially-right-after-9-11-especially-when-the-war-in-afghanistan-is/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [Whether or not Afghanistan would be a peaceful nation-state had we not gone into Iraq I doubt. Afghanistan is going to be Afghanistan, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/whether-or-not-afghanistan-would-be-a-peaceful-nation-state-had-we/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [To me, you can't win. You can't win. There's a war in Iraq; there's no way that they're ending that. The war in Afghanistan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/to-me-you-can-t-win-you-can-t-win-there-s-a-war-in-iraq-there-s-no/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [We can't afford to leave Afghanistan to the Taliban and the terrorists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/we-can-t-afford-to-leave-afghanistan-to-the-taliban-and-the-terrorists/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I don't know anyone who is more admired and respected in the international community than President Karzai, for his strength, for his wisdom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-don-t-know-anyone-who-is-more-admired-and-respected-in-the/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [For many people in the west, Afghanistan is synonymous with the Soviet war and the Taliban. I wanted to remind people that Afghans had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/for-many-people-in-the-west-afghanistan-is-synonymous-with-the-soviet/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Based on what you're seeing on your televisions and have seen of the Taliban rise up and take over Afghanistan faster than any of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-travis/based-on-what-you-re-seeing-on-your-televisions-and-have-seen-of-the/) [Clay Travis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-travis/) > [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/) > [“Michael Freeman was thirty-five years old – a former Special Forces soldier turned policeman. He was a tall and slim black man, with grey-flecked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-conway/michael-freeman-was-thirty-five-years-old-a-former-special-forces/) [Simon Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-conway/) > [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/) > [“I'm not an alcoholic, I am freedom fighter against the teetotal taliban.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-murray/i-m-not-an-alcoholic-i-am-freedom-fighter-against-the-teetotal-taliban/) [Al Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-murray/) ## More by Condoleezza Rice > [The Iranian people have a proud past. They merit a great future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-iranian-people-have-a-proud-past-they-merit-a-great-future/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [It has been hard to muster the resources to support fledgling democracies and to intervene on behalf of the most desperate. The AIDS orphans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/it-has-been-hard-to-muster-the-resources-to-support-fledgling/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [We can't live true to our set of values unless American educational system is strong. I really believe that if we don't get that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/we-can-t-live-true-to-our-set-of-values-unless-american-educational/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I remember at the time of 9/11 that there were women who went out of their way to escort Muslim women to grocery stores…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-remember-at-the-time-of-9-11-that-there-were-women-who-went-out-of/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [The first step for a leader is to be right with yourself. Integrity is the basis of leadership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-first-step-for-a-leader-is-to-be-right-with-yourself-integrity-is/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [A lot is being done to bring additional protective measures, particularly the critical infrastructure locations around the United States, ... There is a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/a-lot-is-being-done-to-bring-additional-protective-measures/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [You cannot be on one hand dedicated to peace and on the other dedicated to violence. Those two things are irreconcilable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/you-cannot-be-on-one-hand-dedicated-to-peace-and-on-the-other/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I'm not personally fearful, but I look out, and there are a number of things that concern me, and I'm hopeful that we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-m-not-personally-fearful-but-i-look-out-and-there-are-a-number-of/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [ \[I'm\] very fortunate and blessed person who still has a lot of living to do. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-m-very-fortunate-and-blessed-person-who-still-has-a-lot-of-living/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [Football is like war. It's about taking territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/football-is-like-war-it-s-about-taking-territory/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I think there are plenty of men out there who are capable and accomplished in their own realm. You don't have to be in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-think-there-are-plenty-of-men-out-there-who-are-capable-and/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I've always said as a political scientist that "culture" is what we use when we can't explain things. I think it's more about accessibility.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-ve-always-said-as-a-political-scientist-that-culture-is-what-we-use/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I'm very glad my mother didn't let me quit piano lessons at age 10. She said I wasn't old enough or good enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-m-very-glad-my-mother-didn-t-let-me-quit-piano-lessons-at-age-10/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [The idea the president of the United States was warned that Al-Qaeda was going to attack the United States and did nothing about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-idea-the-president-of-the-united-states-was-warned-that-al-qaeda/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [“But in the final analysis it doesn’t matter whether they were Christian believers, Deists, or atheists: Their intention was to create a system of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/but-in-the-final-analysis-it-doesn-t-matter-whether-they-were/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) [Explore all 365 Condoleezza Rice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) ## 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": "I believed Afghanistan was always going to be hard. 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