--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In Iraq #1 we stayed within U.N…" description: "\"In Iraq #1 we stayed within U.N. mandates, limited our response, went home after Kuwait was freed - and were censured for allowing Shiites and Kurds to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/victor-davis-hanson-5043_allowing_in-iraq-1-we-stayed-within-u-n-mandates_1568436.jpg" --- # In Iraq #1 we stayed within U.N. mandates, limited our… ![“In Iraq #1 we stayed within U.N. mandates, limited our response, went home after Kuwait was freed - and were censured for allowing Shiites and Kurds to be butchered and not going to Baghdad when the road was open and the dictator tottering. In Iraq #2 we removed the tyrant at less cost than the…” quote by Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/victor-davis-hanson-5043_allowing_in-iraq-1-we-stayed-within-u-n-mandates_1568436.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/victor-davis-hanson-5043_allowing_in-iraq-1-we-stayed-within-u-n-mandates_1568436.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/victor-davis-hanson-5043_allowing_in-iraq-1-we-stayed-within-u-n-mandates_1568436.jpg) > “In Iraq #1 we stayed within U.N. mandates, limited our response, went home after Kuwait was freed - and were censured for allowing Shiites and Kurds to be butchered and not going to Baghdad when the road was open and the dictator tottering. In Iraq #2 we removed the tyrant at less cost than the liberation of Kuwait during the earlier war, stayed on to ensure freedom and fair representation for various groups - and are being castigated for either using too little force to ensure needed order or too much power that stifles indigenous aspirations and turns popular opinion against us.” [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Military interventions are judged harshly regardless of strategy; success is measured by both immediate outcomes and long‑term stability, creating a paradox for policymakers. **In simple terms:** War decisions face criticism no matter the approach. Key Takeaway Balance decisive action with cultural awareness. Themes war policy ethics leadership Mood critical analytical Type political strategic When to use this quote - peacekeeping - conflict resolution - humanitarian aid - political advisory Key Concepts Strategic restraint nation‑building Questions to Reflect On - What criteria should guide the use of force? - How can external powers respect local aspirations while ensuring stability? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on short‑term victories can undermine lasting peace. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allowing/) [Aspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspiration/) [Baghdad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baghdad/) [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [Dictator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dictator/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Fairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairs/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Indigenous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indigenous/) [Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq/) [Iraq Removed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq-removed-5898579/) [Iraq Stayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq-stayed-5898578/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Kurds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kurds/) [Kuwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kuwait/) [Liberation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberation/) [Liberation Kuwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberation-kuwait-1839498/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Mandates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mandates/) [Needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Popular opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popular-opinion/) [Representation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representation/) [Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/response/) [Stayed Mandates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stayed-mandates-5898580/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/) [Too much power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much-power/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) [Tyrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrants/) [Various](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/various/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [The liberation of Kuwait has begun. In conjunction with the forces of our coalition partners, the United States has moved under the code name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-w-bush/the-liberation-of-kuwait-has-begun-in-conjunction-with-the-forces-of/) [George H. W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-w-bush/) > [The fact -- not theory -- that evolution has occurred and the Darwinian theory as to how it occurred have become so confused in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gaylord-simpson/the-fact-not-theory-that-evolution-has-occurred-and-the-darwinian/) [George Gaylord Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gaylord-simpson/) > [“Contrary to popular opinion, leadership is not a reserved position for a particular group of people who were elected or appointed, ordained or enthroned.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/contrary-to-popular-opinion-leadership-is-not-a-reserved-position-for/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Public opinion should not be confused with popular sentiment. Popular sentiment is what people say to one another around their dinner tables. Popular opinion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brookhiser/public-opinion-should-not-be-confused-with-popular-sentiment-popular/) [Richard Brookhiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brookhiser/) > [No written law has ever been more binding than unwritten custom supported by popular opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-chapman-catt/no-written-law-has-ever-been-more-binding-than-unwritten-custom/) [Carrie Chapman Catt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-chapman-catt/) > [Popular opinion is oftenest, what Carlyle pronounced it to be, a lie!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/popular-opinion-is-oftenest-what-carlyle-pronounced-it-to-be-a-lie/) [Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/) > [I don't like it when people spout about the popular opinion just to make it louder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-fallon/i-don-t-like-it-when-people-spout-about-the-popular-opinion-just-to/) [Brian Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-fallon/) > [In America, educators punish those who actually think for themselves. There is only acceptance for popular opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/in-america-educators-punish-those-who-actually-think-for-themselves/) [Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/) > [Meditation on any theme, if positive and honest, inevitably separates him who does the meditating from the opinion prevailing around him, from that which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/meditation-on-any-theme-if-positive-and-honest-inevitably-separates/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [The sand in the hourglass runs from one compartment to the other, marking the passage of moments with something constant and tangible.If you watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/the-sand-in-the-hourglass-runs-from-one-compartment-to-the-other/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [Contrary to popular opinion, classical music does not have to be enjoyed amid exclusive circles, there need not be any snobbishness attached to it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-rieu/contrary-to-popular-opinion-classical-music-does-not-have-to-be/) [Andre Rieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-rieu/) > [“He felt something dark and leering in the manner with which people spoke of Prescott's genius; as if they were not doing homage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/he-felt-something-dark-and-leering-in-the-manner-with-which-people/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Worship of society and popular opinion is idolatry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/worship-of-society-and-popular-opinion-is-idolatry/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Sometimes you need a little courage too just to buck popular opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/sometimes-you-need-a-little-courage-too-just-to-buck-popular-opinion/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [There's no right. There's no wrong. There's only popular opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/there-s-no-right-there-s-no-wrong-there-s-only-popular-opinion/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) ## More by Victor Davis Hanson > [I wish I could attribute the absence of any conventional Arab offensive in the last 20 years to a change of political climate or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/i-wish-i-could-attribute-the-absence-of-any-conventional-arab/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [Offering 'comprehensive' reform usually means years of arguing and horse-trading among pressure groups to get anything done. By the time all the special interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/offering-comprehensive-reform-usually-means-years-of-arguing-and/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [Often, the pretexts for starting a war are not real shortages of land, food or fuel, but rather perceptions - like fear, honor and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/often-the-pretexts-for-starting-a-war-are-not-real-shortages-of-land/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [I see a continuation of the populist outrage that prompted the Brexit and sparked the Bernie Sanders campaign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/i-see-a-continuation-of-the-populist-outrage-that-prompted-the-brexit/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [States are like people. They do not question the awful status quo until some dramatic event overturns the conventional and lax way of thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/states-are-like-people-they-do-not-question-the-awful-status-quo/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [“Nicholas Monsarrat’s epic postwar novel of the Battle of the Atlantic, The Cruel Sea, is a quite different, nightmarish elemental story of men at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/nicholas-monsarrat-s-epic-postwar-novel-of-the-battle-of-the-atlantic/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [The wisdom and spirit of Churchill not only saved Britain from the Third Reich but saved Western civilization from a Nazi Dark Ages when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/the-wisdom-and-spirit-of-churchill-not-only-saved-britain-from-the/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [For all the criticism about warlords, it is now likely that Afghanistan will never again be turned over to al Qaeda to train thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/for-all-the-criticism-about-warlords-it-is-now-likely-that/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [The columnist like myself or people at Stanford University don't wake up in the morning and see their job outsourced. Yet we promote free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/the-columnist-like-myself-or-people-at-stanford-university-don-t-wake/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [A country that cannot count its own illegal aliens - estimates range from 8-12 million - with a porous 2,000 mile border is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/a-country-that-cannot-count-its-own-illegal-aliens-estimates-range/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [“Japan would live and die by the race card—defining (and demonizing) America as “white” and thus Japan as a kindred but clearly superior “yellow”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/japan-would-live-and-die-by-the-race-card-defining-and-demonizing/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [The gradual decline of a society is often a self-induced process of trying to meet ever-expanding appetites, rather than a physical inability to produce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/the-gradual-decline-of-a-society-is-often-a-self-induced-process-of/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [Western elites - the beneficiaries of 60 years of peace and prosperity achieved by the sacrifices to defeat fascism and Communism - are unhappy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/western-elites-the-beneficiaries-of-60-years-of-peace-and-prosperity/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [Can-do Americans courageously go about their duty in Iraq - mostly unafraid that a culture of 2,000 years, the reality of geography, the sheer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/can-do-americans-courageously-go-about-their-duty-in-iraq-mostly/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [I think there's a group of students - whether it's the micro-aggression or the safe space or the trigger warning that garner a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/i-think-there-s-a-group-of-students-whether-it-s-the-micro-aggression/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) [Explore all 104 Victor Davis Hanson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) ## More Allowing quotes > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Is the minor convenience of allowing the present generation the luxury of doubling its energy consumption every 10 years worth the major hazard of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-r-brower/is-the-minor-convenience-of-allowing-the-present-generation-the/) [David R. 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But actually, it is about allowing myself to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-get-afraid-it-has-defined-me-that-sense-of-grief-loss-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Meditation is actually a very simple exercise in resting in the natural state of your present mind, and allowing yourself to be simply and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yongey-mingyur-rinpoche/meditation-is-actually-a-very-simple-exercise-in-resting-in-the/) [Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yongey-mingyur-rinpoche/) > [When you're still, and some actors are really brilliant at that, you bring a kind of energy to you as opposed to sending the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-byrne/when-you-re-still-and-some-actors-are-really-brilliant-at-that-you/) [Gabriel Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-byrne/) > [The only reason I would write a break-up song is because my own problem of allowing myself to relate to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zola-jesus/the-only-reason-i-would-write-a-break-up-song-is-because-my-own/) [Zola Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zola-jesus/) > [I just think fashion is about enjoying yourself and being comfortable in your skin and allowing you to be you - all the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-scott/i-just-think-fashion-is-about-enjoying-yourself-and-being-comfortable/) [Jill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-scott/) > [I don't think there's any harm at all in allowing a kid to fantasize. In fact, I think to stop people from fantasizing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-harm-at-all-in-allowing-a-kid-to-fantasize/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [All I wanted to do was put together one of the best home maths systems in the world, and that's what we've done. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-vorderman/all-i-wanted-to-do-was-put-together-one-of-the-best-home-maths/) [Carol Vorderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-vorderman/) > [I want to deal with the homeless situation here in Washington, D.C. I think it is a travesty that we've got men - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-want-to-deal-with-the-homeless-situation-here-in-washington-d-c-i/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Browse all 916 Allowing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allowing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In Iraq #1 we stayed within U.N. mandates, limited our response, went home after Kuwait was freed - and were censured for allowing Shiites and Kurds to be butchered and not going to Baghdad when the road was open and the dictator tottering. 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