--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bin Laden had come to the delusional…" description: "\"Bin Laden had come to the delusional conclusion that the United States was as weak as the Soviet Union had once been.\" — Peter Bergen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_bin-laden-had-come-to-the-delusional-con_1197050.png" --- # Bin Laden had come to the delusional conclusion that the… ![“Bin Laden had come to the delusional conclusion that the United States was as weak as the Soviet Union had once been.” quote by Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_bin-laden-had-come-to-the-delusional-con_1197050.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_bin-laden-had-come-to-the-delusional-con_1197050.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_bin-laden-had-come-to-the-delusional-con_1197050.png) > “Bin Laden had come to the delusional conclusion that the United States was as weak as the Soviet Union had once been.” [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bin Laden believed the US was as weak as the USSR once was, a misjudgment fueling his strategy. **In simple terms:** He misjudged US strength, seeing it as weak. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about opponent strength. Themes politics terrorism misjudgment Mood cautious critical Type strategic historical When to use this quote - military planning - foreign policy - counter‑terrorism - media analysis Key Concepts strategic error overconfidence historical analogy Questions to Reflect On - What evidence contradicts such conclusions? - How can leaders avoid similar miscalculations? A Different Perspective Risk of underestimating adversary capabilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bin laden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bin-laden/) [Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come/) [Delusional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusional/) [Delusional Conclusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusional-conclusion-3574227/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Soviet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet/) [Soviet union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet-union/) [States Weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states-weak-993139/) [Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/union/) [Weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak/) [Weak Soviet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak-soviet-3574226/) ## Related quotes > [ \[Barack Obama\] done some good things, he's done a couple of bad things. He's obsessed with this all of the above energy policy and...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/barack-obama-done-some-good-things-he-s-done-a-couple-of-bad-things/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Bush and bin Laden are really on the same side: the side of faith and violence against the side of reason and discussion. Both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/bush-and-bin-laden-are-really-on-the-same-side-the-side-of-faith-and/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“One of the fables we live by is that some day the killing will stop. If only we rid ourselves of Chinese, white men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/one-of-the-fables-we-live-by-is-that-some-day-the-killing-will-stop/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [If it is bin Laden, he's a very intelligent guy. He's been planning his war for a long time. I remember the last time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/if-it-is-bin-laden-he-s-a-very-intelligent-guy-he-s-been-planning-his/) [Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/) > [Abu Musab al-Suri is someone I got to know pretty well because he's a Syrian. Very bright guy, lived in London. He actually was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/abu-musab-al-suri-is-someone-i-got-to-know-pretty-well-because-he-s-a/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [When news of the first plane's hitting the World Trade Center reached them, bin Laden's followers exploded with joy. But shrewder members of al-Qaeda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/when-news-of-the-first-plane-s-hitting-the-world-trade-center-reached/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [It is hard to imagine two more final endings to the 'war on terror' than the popular revolts against the authoritarian regimes in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/it-is-hard-to-imagine-two-more-final-endings-to-the-war-on-terror/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [What did U.S. officials have to lose by saying that bin Laden was being protected by the Pakistanis, if it were true?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/what-did-u-s-officials-have-to-lose-by-saying-that-bin-laden-was/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Bin Laden was intelligent, well-informed, and low key. The people around him treated him with great deference, calling him 'sheikh,' a term of respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/bin-laden-was-intelligent-well-informed-and-low-key-the-people-around/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [While the story about the hunt for bin Laden has been exhaustively reported and the key sources and witnesses are in agreement about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/while-the-story-about-the-hunt-for-bin-laden-has-been-exhaustively/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [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/) > [I was the only outsider to visit the Abbottabad compound where bin Laden lived before the Pakistani military demolished it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/i-was-the-only-outsider-to-visit-the-abbottabad-compound-where-bin/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [One of the themes of 'The Longest War,' my book, which came out before the Arab spring happened, was how al-Qaida and bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/one-of-the-themes-of-the-longest-war-my-book-which-came-out-before/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [As early as 1993, members of bin Laden's group had been planning an attack on the American Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/as-early-as-1993-members-of-bin-laden-s-group-had-been-planning-an/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [If you don't understand what al Qaeda was trying to do on 9/11, if you don't have a sense of who Osama bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/if-you-don-t-understand-what-al-qaeda-was-trying-to-do-on-9-11-if-you/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) ## More by Peter Bergen > [So Pakistan is a country that I'm very fond of and have spent a lot of time, but it is a country where conspiracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/so-pakistan-is-a-country-that-i-m-very-fond-of-and-have-spent-a-lot/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The Trump administration launched the cruise missile strikes in Syria, an act of war, without a U.N. resolution or Congressional authorization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-trump-administration-launched-the-cruise-missile-strikes-in-syria/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The deep problems that afflict the Middle East are not easy to fix, but they must be dealt with if we are not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-deep-problems-that-afflict-the-middle-east-are-not-easy-to-fix/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The dirty little secret of the intelligence world is that much of what you really need to know isn't exactly a secret anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-dirty-little-secret-of-the-intelligence-world-is-that-much-of/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Abedi appears to be one of the many thousands of Western Muslims who have embraced militant Islam, often as a way of trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/abedi-appears-to-be-one-of-the-many-thousands-of-western-muslims-who/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Trump has claimed he knows more about ISIS than America's leading generals. Clearly, this is also total nonsense; he doesn't seem to have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/trump-has-claimed-he-knows-more-about-isis-than-america-s-leading/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [If you don't understand what al Qaeda was trying to do on 9/11, if you don't have a sense of who Osama bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/if-you-don-t-understand-what-al-qaeda-was-trying-to-do-on-9-11-if-you/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [As early as 1993, members of bin Laden's group had been planning an attack on the American Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/as-early-as-1993-members-of-bin-laden-s-group-had-been-planning-an/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The reality is that Trump's focus on immigrants is to misconceive of the terrorist problem that exists in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-reality-is-that-trump-s-focus-on-immigrants-is-to-misconceive-of/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [ISIS despises the Russian government for its support of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, and so it's no surprise that ISIS began targeting Russia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/isis-despises-the-russian-government-for-its-support-of-the-syrian/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The Sunni militants that make up ISIS are not the underlying problem in Syria and Iraq, but rather they are a symptom of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-sunni-militants-that-make-up-isis-are-not-the-underlying-problem/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Keeping a relatively small, predominantly U.S. Special Forces presence in Afghanistan to continue to train the Afghan army past December 2016 is a wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/keeping-a-relatively-small-predominantly-u-s-special-forces-presence/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [One of the themes of 'The Longest War,' my book, which came out before the Arab spring happened, was how al-Qaida and bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/one-of-the-themes-of-the-longest-war-my-book-which-came-out-before/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Because 9/11 was carried out by 19 foreign-born Arab hijackers, many assume that all terrorists who attack the West are foreigners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/because-9-11-was-carried-out-by-19-foreign-born-arab-hijackers-many/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [I was the only outsider to visit the Abbottabad compound where bin Laden lived before the Pakistani military demolished it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/i-was-the-only-outsider-to-visit-the-abbottabad-compound-where-bin/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) [Explore all 201 Peter Bergen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) ## More Bin laden 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/) > [I wasn’t like, boo hoo, Bin Laden’s dead, but I wasn’t jumping. America’s a very nationalistic country, and in episodes like that of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scahill/i-wasn-t-like-boo-hoo-bin-laden-s-dead-but-i-wasn-t-jumping-america-s/) [Jeremy Scahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scahill/) > [R.I.P Osama Bin Laden - World Hide And Go Seek Champion (2001 - 2011)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/r-i-p-osama-bin-laden-world-hide-and-go-seek-champion-2001-2011/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ “\[to Navy SEALs\] Quite frankly, I didn't even want to use you guys, with your dip and velcro and all your gear bullshit. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-owen/to-navy-seals-quite-frankly-i-didn-t-even-want-to-use-you-guys-with/) [Mark Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-owen/) > [I couldn't imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Chanukah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-couldn-t-imagine-somebody-like-osama-bin-laden-understanding-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [What makes me angry'is that it wasn't me who revealed that I had been with Osama Bin Laden. I originally denied being involved with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kola-boof/what-makes-me-angry-is-that-it-wasn-t-me-who-revealed-that-i-had-been/) [Kola Boof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kola-boof/) > [Taylor Gang or Die. Obviously Bin Laden didn't choose Taylor Gang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-gang/taylor-gang-or-die-obviously-bin-laden-didn-t-choose-taylor-gang/) [Taylor Gang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-gang/) > [Osama Bin Laden is dead. Killed not by a massive troop deployment but by a commando raid carried out by a few dozen highly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/osama-bin-laden-is-dead-killed-not-by-a-massive-troop-deployment-but/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [“New Rule: The White House doesn't have to release the dead Bin Laden photos, but don't pretend we can't take it. We've seen pictures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-the-white-house-doesn-t-have-to-release-the-dead-bin-laden/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [With Benghazi, I don't see anyone saying, 'Hey look, I am overall responsible for this and therefore, I take responsibility for what happened. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocko-willink/with-benghazi-i-don-t-see-anyone-saying-hey-look-i-am-overall/) [Jocko Willink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocko-willink/) > [The twin causes Bin Laden invokes are Islam and Arab self-determination, and armies rise to serve him. No need to convert or dogmatize. Believers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norah-vincent/the-twin-causes-bin-laden-invokes-are-islam-and-arab-self/) [Norah Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norah-vincent/) > [Wafah Dufour bin Laden, niece of Osama bin Laden has signed a contract to star in a reality show... called Skating with the Nieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/wafah-dufour-bin-laden-niece-of-osama-bin-laden-has-signed-a-contract/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [“It can certainly be misleading to take the attributes of a movement, or the anxieties and contradictions of a moment, and to personalize or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-can-certainly-be-misleading-to-take-the-attributes-of-a-movement/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [None of us, remember, knew that 9/11 was gonna happen. We didn't live in a state of anxiety and fear about Osama Bin Laden.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-lewis/none-of-us-remember-knew-that-9-11-was-gonna-happen-we-didn-t-live-in/) [Damian Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-lewis/) > [Many of us didn't believe in the image of bin Laden as a wandering Old Man of the Mountains, living on plants and insects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/many-of-us-didn-t-believe-in-the-image-of-bin-laden-as-a-wandering/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) [Browse all 566 Bin laden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bin-laden/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Bin Laden had come to the delusional conclusion that the United States was as weak as the Soviet Union had once been.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Bergen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/bin-laden-had-come-to-the-delusional-conclusion-that-the-united/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bin laden" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/bin-laden-had-come-to-the-delusional-conclusion-that-the-united/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_bin-laden-had-come-to-the-delusional-con_1197050.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_bin-laden-had-come-to-the-delusional-con_1197050.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/peter-bergen-1880_bin-laden_bin-laden-had-come-to-the-delusional-con_1197050.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Bin Laden had come to the delusional conclusion that the United States was as weak as the Soviet Union had…” — Peter Bergen", "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": "Peter Bergen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Bin Laden had come to the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/bin-laden-had-come-to-the-delusional-conclusion-that-the-united/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/bin-laden-had-come-to-the-delusional-conclusion-that-the-united/#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 } } ] } ```