---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Desert Storm was seen by the military…"
description: "\"Desert Storm was seen by the military establishment and by some politicians as avenging Vietnam, but it left behind dangerous illusions. The victory wa..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/michael-ignatieff-3146_about_desert-storm-was-seen-by-the-military-es_1829707.jpg"
---

#  Desert Storm was seen by the military establishment and by…

![“Desert Storm was seen by the military establishment and by some politicians as avenging Vietnam, but it left behind dangerous illusions. The victory was so decisive, and information about it so carefully managed, that the American public was never clearly informed that it was purchased at the…” quote by Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/michael-ignatieff-3146_about_desert-storm-was-seen-by-the-military-es_1829707.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/michael-ignatieff-3146_about_desert-storm-was-seen-by-the-military-es_1829707.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/michael-ignatieff-3146_about_desert-storm-was-seen-by-the-military-es_1829707.jpg)

> “Desert Storm was seen by the military establishment and by some politicians as avenging Vietnam, but it left behind dangerous illusions. The victory was so decisive, and information about it so carefully managed, that the American public was never clearly informed that it was purchased at the price of approximately 100,000 Iraqi lives.”

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

## About This Quote

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

The war was portrayed as retribution, but the narrative masked high civilian casualties and created false confidence.

**In simple terms:** War was framed as revenge, hiding true costs.

Key Takeaway

Question media narratives critically.

Themes

war politics media ethics public perception

Mood

skeptical concerned

Type

analytical critical

When to use this quote

- policy analysis
- journalism
- human rights advocacy

Key Concepts

propaganda civilian casualties information control

Questions to Reflect On

- How does framing affect public support?
- What responsibilities do leaders have to disclose casualties?

A Different Perspective

The public may never know the full human cost.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[American public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-public/) [Approximately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approximately/) [Decisive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decisive/) [Desert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert/) [Desert storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert-storm/) [Establishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/establishment/) [Illusions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusions/) [Iraqi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraqi/) [Left behind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-behind/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Politicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politicians/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Purchased](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purchased/) [Victory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victory/) [Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam/)

## Related quotes

> [Under Obama, we have seen the U.S. military - the most exceptional force for peace in the world - degraded, downsized, decimated and demeaned,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-lapierre/under-obama-we-have-seen-the-u-s-military-the-most-exceptional-force/)

[Wayne LaPierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-lapierre/)

> [“I’ve never actually seen the military used to any higher moral purpose. There is always the bottom line, somewhere, somehow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-goff/i-ve-never-actually-seen-the-military-used-to-any-higher-moral/)

[Stan Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-goff/)

> [Desert Storm created the pattern for the American way of war that eventually prevailed in Kosovo. America learned from Vietnam that unilateral use of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/desert-storm-created-the-pattern-for-the-american-way-of-war-that/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Obama's policies have been approximately the same as Bush's, though there have been some slight differences, but that's not a great surprise. The Democrats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/obama-s-policies-have-been-approximately-the-same-as-bush-s-though/)

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

> [The way I found time to write 'The Imperfectionists' was that I took work as a copy editor at the 'International Herald Tribune' in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/the-way-i-found-time-to-write-the-imperfectionists-was-that-i-took/)

[Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/)

> [Between finishing emails, loading the fridge, unloading the dishwasher, getting our son to eat his chicken nuggets and my dog to swallow her pill,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-mclaughlin/between-finishing-emails-loading-the-fridge-unloading-the-dishwasher/)

[Emma McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-mclaughlin/)

> [In large part, thanks to widespread immunization, the number of young children dying each year has declined significantly, from approximately 14 million in 1979…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-berkley/in-large-part-thanks-to-widespread-immunization-the-number-of-young/)

[Seth Berkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-berkley/)

> [“Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS) has appeared in the general population at approximately the same time as Bee Colony Collapse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-ehs-has-appeared-in-the-general/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [Though moral axioms to guide the conduct of the practitioner have existed since the beginnings of the profession of healing, Western doctors are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/though-moral-axioms-to-guide-the-conduct-of-the-practitioner-have/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [Man's body had a different shape in the past from that of the present, and from that which it will have in the future.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-heindel/man-s-body-had-a-different-shape-in-the-past-from-that-of-the-present/)

[Max Heindel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-heindel/)

> [“Approximately 1 in 4 people in the USA cannot afford their prescription drugs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/approximately-1-in-4-people-in-the-usa-cannot-afford-their/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [In my district, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles handle approximately 44 percent of all of the goods delivered to American shores,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-rohrabacher/in-my-district-the-ports-of-long-beach-and-los-angeles-handle/)

[Dana Rohrabacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-rohrabacher/)

> [Without him here, it is impossible to know how fast he will play it, approximately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-ormandy/without-him-here-it-is-impossible-to-know-how-fast-he-will-play-it/)

[Eugene Ormandy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-ormandy/)

> [Be approximately right rather than exactly wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tukey/be-approximately-right-rather-than-exactly-wrong/)

[John Tukey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tukey/)

> [In 1968, the situation at Harvard was not one of which we can be proud. In that year, the proportion of minority persons in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/in-1968-the-situation-at-harvard-was-not-one-of-which-we-can-be-proud/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

## More by Michael Ignatieff

> [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [What really matters is getting new people in. The constitutional changes matter, but the thing that the party mustn't do is turn in on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/what-really-matters-is-getting-new-people-in-the-constitutional/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [The medium's gaze is brief, intense, and promiscuous. The shelf life of the moral causes it makes its own is brutally short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-medium-s-gaze-is-brief-intense-and-promiscuous-the-shelf-life-of/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Those with a gift for action, for their part, often express contempt for those whose gifts are more reflective. Men of action like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/those-with-a-gift-for-action-for-their-part-often-express-contempt/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [There are lots of nations in the world or national peoples who don't yet have states. They're inside someone else's state and they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/there-are-lots-of-nations-in-the-world-or-national-peoples-who-don-t/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [There's a civic nationalism in Britain and dozens of other countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/there-s-a-civic-nationalism-in-britain-and-dozens-of-other-countries/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Affirming belief that America is an exceptional nation has become a test of patriotism in American politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/affirming-belief-that-america-is-an-exceptional-nation-has-become-a/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Both Iraq and Syria are a fissile mixture of ethnicities and religions thrown together after Versailles by departing French and British imperialists and only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/both-iraq-and-syria-are-a-fissile-mixture-of-ethnicities-and/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [The legitimacy of coercive acts in a democracy arises from the process by which they are justified and by the degree to which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-legitimacy-of-coercive-acts-in-a-democracy-arises-from-the/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Some of our finest leaders were not intellectuals at all, and I admire them enormously because they weren't. Harry Truman wasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/some-of-our-finest-leaders-were-not-intellectuals-at-all-and-i-admire/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [If you get the access to see history happen, do you understand the history when it does happen? And the answer to that question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/if-you-get-the-access-to-see-history-happen-do-you-understand-the/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [I have been a journalist, off and on, since I was 17. I was a copy boy for the 'New York Times,' when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/i-have-been-a-journalist-off-and-on-since-i-was-17-i-was-a-copy-boy/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [In academic life, false ideas are merely false, and useless ones can be fun to play with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/in-academic-life-false-ideas-are-merely-false-and-useless-ones-can-be/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Liberal democracy has endured because its institutions are designed for handling morally hazardous forms of coercive power. It puts the question of how far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/liberal-democracy-has-endured-because-its-institutions-are-designed/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [An intellectual may be interested in ideas and policies for their own sake, but a politician's interest is exclusively in the question of whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/an-intellectual-may-be-interested-in-ideas-and-policies-for-their-own/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

[Explore all 138 Michael Ignatieff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

## More About quotes

> [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/)

[Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/)

> [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/)

[Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/)

> [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/)

[Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/)

> [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/)

[Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/)

> [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/)

[Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/)

> [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/)

[Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/)

> [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/)

[Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/)

> [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/)

[Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/)

> [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/)

[Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/)

> [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/)

[Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/)

> [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/)

[Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

> [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/)

[Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/)

Browse all 26,122 About quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Desert Storm was seen by the military establishment and by some politicians as avenging Vietnam, but it left behind dangerous illusions. The victory was so decisive, and information about it so carefully managed, that the American public was never clearly informed that it was purchased at the price of approximately 100,000 Iraqi lives.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Ignatieff"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/desert-storm-was-seen-by-the-military-establishment-and-by-some/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "About"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/desert-storm-was-seen-by-the-military-establishment-and-by-some/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/michael-ignatieff-3146_about_desert-storm-was-seen-by-the-military-es_1829707.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/michael-ignatieff-3146_about_desert-storm-was-seen-by-the-military-es_1829707.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/michael-ignatieff-3146_about_desert-storm-was-seen-by-the-military-es_1829707.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Desert Storm was seen by the military establishment and by some politicians as avenging Vietnam, but it left…” — Michael Ignatieff",
                "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": "Michael Ignatieff",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Desert Storm was seen by the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/desert-storm-was-seen-by-the-military-establishment-and-by-some/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/desert-storm-was-seen-by-the-military-establishment-and-by-some/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
