---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After September 11, when the United…"
description: "\"After September 11, when the United States took action to overthrow the Taliban, our interests and Iran's aligned, and we were able to coordinate quiet..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/earl-blumenauer-30813_able_after-september-11-when-the-united-state_2056487.png"
---

#  After September 11, when the United States took action to…

![“After September 11, when the United States took action to overthrow the Taliban, our interests and Iran's aligned, and we were able to coordinate quietly but effectively.” quote by Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/earl-blumenauer-30813_able_after-september-11-when-the-united-state_2056487.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/earl-blumenauer-30813_able_after-september-11-when-the-united-state_2056487.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/earl-blumenauer-30813_able_after-september-11-when-the-united-state_2056487.png)

> “After September 11, when the United States took action to overthrow the Taliban, our interests and Iran's aligned, and we were able to coordinate quietly but effectively.”

[Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

## About This Quote

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

U.S. actions against the Taliban unintentionally aligned with Iran, allowing covert, effective coordination.

**In simple terms:** U.S. and Iran found common ground after 9/11.

Key Takeaway

Recognize unintended alliances.

Themes

politics foreign policy conflict

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

political strategic

When to use this quote

- diplomacy
- military planning
- intelligence analysis
- regional stability
- policy critique

Key Concepts

strategic alignment covert operations

Questions to Reflect On

- What risks arise from such covert cooperation?
- How transparent should such alignments be?

A Different Perspective

Alliance may be fragile.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Action Overthrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action-overthrow-3901719/) [Coordinate Quietly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coordinate-quietly-3901718/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Iran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iran/) [Iran Aligned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iran-aligned-3901717/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Overthrow Taliban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overthrow-taliban-828664/) [Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet/) [September](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/september/) [September 11](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/september-11/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Taliban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taliban/) [Took Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/took-action-381001/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/)

## Related quotes

> [ “Eight months \[after 9/11\], after the most intensive international investigation in history, the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation informed the press that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/eight-months-after-9-11-after-the-most-intensive-international/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [When people made up their minds that they wanted to be free and took action, then there was a change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosa-parks/when-people-made-up-their-minds-that-they-wanted-to-be-free-and-took/)

[Rosa Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosa-parks/)

> [I took action as governor to preserve the sanctity of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-took-action-as-governor-to-preserve-the-sanctity-of-life/)

[Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/)

> [New Jersey was threatened like no other region in this country and what we did was we took action within the constitution to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/new-jersey-was-threatened-like-no-other-region-in-this-country-and/)

[Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/)

> [I took action to allow Montanans to participate in direct primary care agreements with doctors and authorized the use of health care sharing ministries,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rosendale/i-took-action-to-allow-montanans-to-participate-in-direct-primary/)

[Matt Rosendale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rosendale/)

> [I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. But many others were also in the same place. The difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-was-lucky-to-be-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time-but-many/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [If today is anything like the typical day of the past 3 years, three American soldiers will die in Iraq or Afghanistan, the Taliban…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcee-hastings/if-today-is-anything-like-the-typical-day-of-the-past-3-years-three/)

[Alcee Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcee-hastings/)

> [Believe me, having a teenage daughter is like living with the Taliban.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-lette/believe-me-having-a-teenage-daughter-is-like-living-with-the-taliban/)

[Kathy Lette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-lette/)

> [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/)

> [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 Earl Blumenauer

> [The National Flood Insurance Program is a voluntary program. If a community really feels that the building insurance requirements are too burdensome, they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/the-national-flood-insurance-program-is-a-voluntary-program-if-a/)

[Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

> [Mr. Speaker, for the last 5 years I have been working with a bipartisan group of my colleagues to make it illegal to continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/mr-speaker-for-the-last-5-years-i-have-been-working-with-a-bipartisan/)

[Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

> [Whether it's in in livability, transportation, or the environment, Portland is always leading the country. We have more to do before we achieve our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/whether-it-s-in-in-livability-transportation-or-the-environment/)

[Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

> [Our community is like many around the country that have, as the gentleman from New York referenced, sophisticated planning and zoning regulations. These are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/our-community-is-like-many-around-the-country-that-have-as-the/)

[Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

> [Marriages are under strain today in terms of economics. There are social cross-currents. We see failed marriages. But it is not under attack by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/marriages-are-under-strain-today-in-terms-of-economics-there-are/)

[Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

> [A property in the 100-year floodplain has a 96 percent chance of being flooded in the next hundred years without global warming. The fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/a-property-in-the-100-year-floodplain-has-a-96-percent-chance-of/)

[Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

> [We won the war, but we are losing the occupation and reconstruction of Iraq. It is past time for a new approach, one that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/we-won-the-war-but-we-are-losing-the-occupation-and-reconstruction-of/)

[Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

> [The Corporation for Public Broadcasting distributes an annual appropriation that we provide in accordance with a statutory formula, the vast majority of which goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/the-corporation-for-public-broadcasting-distributes-an-annual/)

[Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

> [Everybody on this floor wants to send the same loud and clear message: that Congress is united in its opposition to terror and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/everybody-on-this-floor-wants-to-send-the-same-loud-and-clear-message/)

[Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

> [Mr. Speaker, in the years since we enacted our attack against Iraq, the threat from Iran has only grown more difficult, and our capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/mr-speaker-in-the-years-since-we-enacted-our-attack-against-iraq-the/)

[Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

> [Mr. Speaker, from hurricanes and floods in Latin America to earthquakes in Asia, natural disasters are increasingly becoming a regular feature of life for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/mr-speaker-from-hurricanes-and-floods-in-latin-america-to-earthquakes/)

[Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

> [Let's have a moment of silence for all those Americans who are stuck in traffic on their way to the gym to ride the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/let-s-have-a-moment-of-silence-for-all-those-americans-who-are-stuck/)

[Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

> [We can no longer afford the war in Iraq. Our financial costs have already passed a third of a trillion dollars; the lifetime costs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/we-can-no-longer-afford-the-war-in-iraq-our-financial-costs-have/)

[Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

> [While the United States has largely been missing in action from the diplomatic game, the European Union and Iran have been making progress at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/while-the-united-states-has-largely-been-missing-in-action-from-the/)

[Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

> [At a time when 2500 American soldiers have given their lives for the cause of bringing democracy to Iraq, it is sad and frustrating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/at-a-time-when-2500-american-soldiers-have-given-their-lives-for-the/)

[Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

[Explore all 17 Earl Blumenauer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

[Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/)

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

[Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "After September 11, when the United States took action to overthrow the Taliban, our interests and Iran's aligned, and we were able to coordinate quietly but effectively.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Earl Blumenauer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/after-september-11-when-the-united-states-took-action-to-overthrow/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/after-september-11-when-the-united-states-took-action-to-overthrow/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/earl-blumenauer-30813_able_after-september-11-when-the-united-state_2056487.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/earl-blumenauer-30813_able_after-september-11-when-the-united-state_2056487.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/earl-blumenauer-30813_able_after-september-11-when-the-united-state_2056487.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“After September 11, when the United States took action to overthrow the Taliban, our interests and Iran's…” — Earl Blumenauer",
                "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": "Earl Blumenauer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "After September 11, when the United...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/after-september-11-when-the-united-states-took-action-to-overthrow/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/after-september-11-when-the-united-states-took-action-to-overthrow/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
