--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Destroying Iraq was the greatest…" description: "\"Destroying Iraq was the greatest strategic blunder this country has made in its history. Unless we change course, there's every reason to believe the I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5c/robert-baer-33434_believe_destroying-iraq-was-the-greatest-strateg_2592360.png" --- # Destroying Iraq was the greatest strategic blunder this… ![“Destroying Iraq was the greatest strategic blunder this country has made in its history. Unless we change course, there's every reason to believe the Iraq War will end up changing the United States more than it will ever change Iraq.” quote by Robert Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5c/robert-baer-33434_believe_destroying-iraq-was-the-greatest-strateg_2592360.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5c/robert-baer-33434_believe_destroying-iraq-was-the-greatest-strateg_2592360.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5c/robert-baer-33434_believe_destroying-iraq-was-the-greatest-strateg_2592360.png) > “Destroying Iraq was the greatest strategic blunder this country has made in its history. Unless we change course, there's every reason to believe the Iraq War will end up changing the United States more than it will ever change Iraq.” [Robert Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Iraq war was a strategic error; its long‑term impact may reshape the U.S. more than Iraq. **In simple terms:** War was a strategic blunder. Key Takeaway Learn from strategic failures. Themes politics war strategy Mood critical analytical Type political historical When to use this quote - foreign policy - military planning - national security Key Concepts geopolitics policy analysis historical impact Questions to Reflect On - What lessons can policymakers draw? - How can future interventions avoid similar errors? A Different Perspective Complex causes may oversimplify. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-iraq-1871565/) [Blunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blunders/) [Change Course](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-course/) [Change Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-iraq-1871563/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Destroying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroying/) [Destroying Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroying-iraq-1871562/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq/) [Iraq war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq-war/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Strategic Blunder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategic-blunder-1871564/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [The Iraq War is the largest strategic blunder in U.S. history … On every level - moral, strategic, military and economic - Iraq was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-young/the-iraq-war-is-the-largest-strategic-blunder-in-u-s-history-on-every/) [Tomas Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-young/) > [Does anybody really believe that Iraq is going to be a wonderful democracy where people are going to run down to the voting box…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/does-anybody-really-believe-that-iraq-is-going-to-be-a-wonderful/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I did not believe in the Iraq war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/i-did-not-believe-in-the-iraq-war/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [Many Sunnis, who are still stuck in the Saddam era mindset and believe Iraq belongs to them, are trying to prevent a new country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/many-sunnis-who-are-still-stuck-in-the-saddam-era-mindset-and-believe/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Look at the results of regime change in Iraq. You can't possibly claim that it was successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/look-at-the-results-of-regime-change-in-iraq-you-can-t-possibly-claim/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [What the Bush administration is primarily interested in is regime change in the United States, not regime change in Iraq or South East Asia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham-2/what-the-bush-administration-is-primarily-interested-in-is-regime/) [Lewis H Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham-2/) > [“So who lost Iraq? The blame game mostly fingers incompetent Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. Or is Barack Obama culpable for pulling out all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-who-lost-iraq-the-blame-game-mostly-fingers-incompetent-iraqi/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If the Bahreini royal family can have an embassy, a state, and a seat at the UN, why should the twenty-five million Kurds not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/if-the-bahreini-royal-family-can-have-an-embassy-a-state-and-a-seat/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [President Bush said it's now time for a change in Iraq and he wants them to have a Western-style democracy like ours. So right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/president-bush-said-it-s-now-time-for-a-change-in-iraq-and-he-wants/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“Only a book is enough to change the course of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aman-jassal/only-a-book-is-enough-to-change-the-course-of-your-life/) [Aman Jassal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aman-jassal/) > [You cannot change the course of events, but you can change your attitude, and what really matters is the attitude and not the mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/you-cannot-change-the-course-of-events-but-you-can-change-your/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [“Over the years I’ve learned that a surefooted and confident mapmaker does not a swift traveler make. I stumble and fall, and I constantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/over-the-years-i-ve-learned-that-a-surefooted-and-confident-mapmaker/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [There are times when I wish I could go back and change the course of my life. Make different choices...But the past cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/there-are-times-when-i-wish-i-could-go-back-and-change-the-course-of/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [If The World Does Not Change Course, We Risk Self-Destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/if-the-world-does-not-change-course-we-risk-self-destruction/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [There is no one who can change My course or affect My conduct to the slightest extent. I am the Master over all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/there-is-no-one-who-can-change-my-course-or-affect-my-conduct-to-the/) [Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/) ## More by Robert Baer > [The US have dealt with Iran. I'm not saying attack it; I'm saying we should have taken it seriously. The Iranian connection to 9/11…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baer/the-us-have-dealt-with-iran-i-m-not-saying-attack-it-i-m-saying-we/) [Robert Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baer/) > [I don't trust American intelligence. You look at the torture report from the Senate: People inside the CIA are saying that it doesn't work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baer/i-don-t-trust-american-intelligence-you-look-at-the-torture-report/) [Robert Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baer/) > [“On one level, Americans are too distant from the Middle East, too naive to understand its complexities and history. 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About that I'm far more certain and emphatic: no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baer/did-bin-laden-act-alone-through-his-own-al-qaida-network-in-launching/) [Robert Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baer/) > [Egypt is the next domino to fall and, as they say, so goes Egypt so goes the Middle East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baer/egypt-is-the-next-domino-to-fall-and-as-they-say-so-goes-egypt-so/) [Robert Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baer/) > [The CIA is an incompetent bureaucracy, generally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baer/the-cia-is-an-incompetent-bureaucracy-generally/) [Robert Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baer/) > [Bethlehem was God with us, Calvary was God for us, and Pentecost is God in us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baer/bethlehem-was-god-with-us-calvary-was-god-for-us-and-pentecost-is-god/) [Robert Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baer/) > [I truly believe that if torture had worked and there was a case to be made for it, we would see that on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baer/i-truly-believe-that-if-torture-had-worked-and-there-was-a-case-to-be/) [Robert Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baer/) > [I take my own experience and other assassinations through history and get a lot into the drone program, which doesn't work, as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baer/i-take-my-own-experience-and-other-assassinations-through-history-and/) [Robert Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baer/) > [My take on the torture thing and even drones is: If we're going to get into assassination and torture, the second question is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baer/my-take-on-the-torture-thing-and-even-drones-is-if-we-re-going-to-get/) [Robert Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baer/) > [It seems to me it's always the evil we refuse to see that does us the greatest harm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baer/it-seems-to-me-it-s-always-the-evil-we-refuse-to-see-that-does-us-the/) [Robert Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baer/) [Explore all 15 Robert Baer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baer/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. 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Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. 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Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Destroying Iraq was the greatest strategic blunder this country has made in its history. 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