Als Quote by Rand Paul
![“I don't think he fully analyzes the situation. If you destabilize [Bashar] Assad and punish Assad, you do embolden terrorists. You embolden al-Qaida because al-Qaida is on the other side of this war. So, one side wins if you destabilize the other side. So, he will be emboldening al-Qaida and the…” quote by Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fcd/rand-paul-606_als_i-don-t-think-he-fully-analyzes-the-situ_2936220.jpg)
“I don't think he fully analyzes the situation. If you destabilize [Bashar] Assad and punish Assad, you do embolden terrorists. You embolden al-Qaida because al-Qaida is on the other side of this war. So, one side wins if you destabilize the other side. So, he will be emboldening al-Qaida and the Islamic rebels. And I'm not so sure they're better than Assad.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview on foreign policy, 2013
Intervening against a regime can unintentionally strengthen extremist groups, making the outcome unclear.
In simple terms: Attacking a government may boost terrorists.
Key Takeaway
Consider unintended consequences before action.
Themes
foreign policy
intervention
extremism
strategic risk
Mood
cautious
analytical
Type
political
strategic
When to use this quote
- military action
- diplomacy
- sanctions
- humanitarian aid
Key Concepts
power vacuums
blowback
regional stability
Questions to Reflect On
- What are the long‑term effects of destabilizing a regime?
- How can policy avoid empowering extremists?
A Different Perspective
Assad may be less dangerous than the groups his removal could empower.
![“The question's whether or not there's an American interest in the Civil War [in Syria]. The question is whether or not a military strike on [Bashar] Assad will cause him to be encouraged to use more weapons or discouraged. It's easy enough to say - and the president [Barack Obama] says though this…” quote by Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dfd/rand-paul-606_assad_the-question-s-whether-or-not-there-s-an_3094132.jpg)
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![“We have Islamic rebels [in Syria] who've been eating the hearts or organs of their enemies. We have priests that have been killed. We have Christian villages that have been razed by Islamic rebels. We have Islamic rebels who say they don't recognize Israel and would just as soon attack Israel as…” quote by Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/962/rand-paul-606_assad_we-have-islamic-rebels-in-syria-who-ve-b_2148203.jpg)
![“I think we can all agree [Bashar] Assad is a bad and evil actor, but I'm not so sure that we want the Islamic rebels to be in charge of Syria either.” quote by Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/065/rand-paul-606_actors_i-think-we-can-all-agree-bashar-assad-is_2125585.jpg)
![“I think that if you believe in regime change, you're mistaken. In 2013, we put 600 tons of weapons - us, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar - into the war against [Bashar] Assad. By pushing Assad back, we did create a safe space.” quote by Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2da/rand-paul-606_arabia_i-think-that-if-you-believe-in-regime-ch_1949684.jpg)
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![“Every chance at destabilizing [Bashar] Assad... the bombing campaign causes a flood of refugees into Jordan, there's already half a million in Jordan. I think a bombing campaign - I think it's hard to argue that a U.S. bombing campaign is going to cause less refugees. And I think it causes more…” quote by Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e12/rand-paul-606_all-kinds_every-chance-at-destabilizing-bashar-ass_336474.jpg)
![“I think those who have wanted regime [of Bashar Assad] change have made a mistake.” quote by Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6b2/rand-paul-606_assad_i-think-those-who-have-wanted-regime-of_280205.jpg)
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