---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the behavior of the troops has…"
description: "\"I think the behavior of the troops has been a huge factor in the rise of the insurgency and in the rise of the anti-American feelings there[in Iraq].\" ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/yaroslav-trofimov-28338_anti-american_i-think-the-behavior-of-the-troops-has-b_653272.jpg"
---

#  I think the behavior of the troops has been a huge factor…

![“I think the behavior of the troops has been a huge factor in the rise of the insurgency and in the rise of the anti-American feelings there&#91;in Iraq&#93;.” quote by Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/yaroslav-trofimov-28338_anti-american_i-think-the-behavior-of-the-troops-has-b_653272.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/yaroslav-trofimov-28338_anti-american_i-think-the-behavior-of-the-troops-has-b_653272.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/yaroslav-trofimov-28338_anti-american_i-think-the-behavior-of-the-troops-has-b_653272.jpg)

> “I think the behavior of the troops has been a huge factor in the rise of the insurgency and in the rise of the anti-American feelings there\[in Iraq\].”

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

## About This Quote

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

Troop behavior influences insurgency growth and anti‑American sentiment in Iraq.

**In simple terms:** Soldiers actions affect local attitudes.

Key Takeaway

Promote respectful conduct to reduce hostility.

Themes

military insurgency public opinion

Mood

cautious informed

Type

strategic analytical

When to use this quote

- peacekeeping missions
- community relations
- policy planning

Key Concepts

counterinsurgency cultural interaction

Questions to Reflect On

- What training can improve troop‑civilian interactions?
- How can leaders address underlying grievances?

A Different Perspective

Complex factors also drive insurgency beyond troop conduct.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anti american](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-american/) [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Insurgency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insurgency/) [Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Troops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/troops/)

## Related quotes

> [In a country like Iraq with its culture of blood feuds - is that the more locals are killed, the more motivation there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/in-a-country-like-iraq-with-its-culture-of-blood-feuds-is-that-the/)

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

> [Its the reality of a situation like this that when you have a large troop presence that it has the tendency to fuel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/its-the-reality-of-a-situation-like-this-that-when-you-have-a-large/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [The public's continuing ambivalence about cultural matters is all the more striking given that the political conversation on these issues has for 30 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/the-public-s-continuing-ambivalence-about-cultural-matters-is-all-the/)

[Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/)

> [We are facing an enormous crisis in Africa right now in terms of illegal wildlife trafficking, which is decimating animal populations, destroying local economies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah-barron/we-are-facing-an-enormous-crisis-in-africa-right-now-in-terms-of/)

David Jeremiah Barron

> [I think a lot of the people who feel out of step with contemporary society or feel that they've been left back economically or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/i-think-a-lot-of-the-people-who-feel-out-of-step-with-contemporary/)

[Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/)

> [“Constructive insurgency: Is the use of legal and imaginative means of resistance to reform a system of repression. Generally through the use of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/constructive-insurgency-is-the-use-of-legal-and-imaginative-means-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I am encouraged by the news today that United States special operations personnel found, identified and killed the terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the operational…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-fitzpatrick/i-am-encouraged-by-the-news-today-that-united-states-special/)

[Mike Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-fitzpatrick/)

> [The presence of American troops is fueling the insurgency in Iraq, as acknowledged by General Casey and numerous other experts, and is helping terrorist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-conyers/the-presence-of-american-troops-is-fueling-the-insurgency-in-iraq-as/)

[John Conyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-conyers/)

> [We'd be better off if the whole purpose of the adventure in Iraq was, say, to protect Israel or to protect the flow of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/we-d-be-better-off-if-the-whole-purpose-of-the-adventure-in-iraq-was/)

[Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/)

> [I think we may well have some kind of presence there over a period of time... The level of activity that we see today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/i-think-we-may-well-have-some-kind-of-presence-there-over-a-period-of/)

[Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/)

> [I think Martin Luther King would always keep track of collective insurgencies among poor and working people. He was concerned about the treatment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-think-martin-luther-king-would-always-keep-track-of-collective/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

> [ There \[in Afghanistan\] is also a growing insurgency threat from al-Qaida, the Taliban and other extremist elements, some of which comes from the tribal… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-petraeus/there-in-afghanistan-is-also-a-growing-insurgency-threat-from-al/)

[David Petraeus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-petraeus/)

> [We must support initiatives that provide clear, concrete measures and milestones that our troops need for defeating the insurgency, building up Iraqi security forces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrod-brown/we-must-support-initiatives-that-provide-clear-concrete-measures-and/)

[Sherrod Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrod-brown/)

> [ \[In response to the question "Do you think that you underestimated the insurgency's strength?"\] I think so. I guess if I look back on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/in-response-to-the-question-do-you-think-that-you-underestimated-the/)

[Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/)

> [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/)

Farnaz Fassihi

## More by Yaroslav Trofimov

> [If you are an eighteen or nineteen-year-old with little education, as is often the case, and you're put in charge of many, many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/if-you-are-an-eighteen-or-nineteen-year-old-with-little-education-as/)

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

> [The American official was trying to talk about aid and development projects and finally a local tribal chief got up and said, "Even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/the-american-official-was-trying-to-talk-about-aid-and-development/)

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

> [Even if you look at Iran, those campaigners for human rights there, they don't want to have anything to do with America, because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/even-if-you-look-at-iran-those-campaigners-for-human-rights-there/)

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

> [But in Afghanistan, the general rule was that since you were fighting the Taliban, which was not a lawful government force, the Geneva Conventions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/but-in-afghanistan-the-general-rule-was-that-since-you-were-fighting/)

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

> [Now as to the behavior of the soldiers: occupations always corrupt the occupiers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/now-as-to-the-behavior-of-the-soldiers-occupations-always-corrupt-the/)

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

> [In a country like Iraq with its culture of blood feuds - is that the more locals are killed, the more motivation there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/in-a-country-like-iraq-with-its-culture-of-blood-feuds-is-that-the/)

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

> [In the occupation in Afghanistan, there are tragedies as well. It's not as bad as in Iraq because there are fewer American troops. But,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/in-the-occupation-in-afghanistan-there-are-tragedies-as-well-it-s-not/)

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

> [ Because no matter how much money we spend there \[in Iraq\], as long as the people there see this money as... as assistance that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/because-no-matter-how-much-money-we-spend-there-in-iraq-as-long-as/)

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

> [The other problem is that the priority of many soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan is operational security: not getting killed. Now that is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/the-other-problem-is-that-the-priority-of-many-soldiers-in-iraq-or/)

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

> [I did some embedded stuff. And if you are embedded, the only things you see are what the soldiers see, and if the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/i-did-some-embedded-stuff-and-if-you-are-embedded-the-only-things-you/)

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

> [So our own actions sometimes have undermined our safety, in our efforts to fight terrorism. The only way this can work is if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/so-our-own-actions-sometimes-have-undermined-our-safety-in-our/)

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

> [Even if you are a liberal in the Muslim world, when you see Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, and you see all the other reports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/even-if-you-are-a-liberal-in-the-muslim-world-when-you-see-abu-ghraib/)

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

> [What I found most ironic is that the safest part for us as journalists was during the actual war. Back then, during that stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/what-i-found-most-ironic-is-that-the-safest-part-for-us-as/)

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

> [I think in Baghdad, any westerner, journalist or not, has a big dollar sign on his or her forehead. So, first and foremost, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/i-think-in-baghdad-any-westerner-journalist-or-not-has-a-big-dollar/)

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

> [And if you look at the experience of Turkey, for example, where the modern Islamists are in power and are doing fine - this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/and-if-you-look-at-the-experience-of-turkey-for-example-where-the/)

[Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

[Explore all 19 Yaroslav Trofimov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/)

## More Anti american quotes

> [I am particularly disturbed that our country is the largest financial supporter of an organization that not only wastes a lot of our money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-thornberry/i-am-particularly-disturbed-that-our-country-is-the-largest-financial/)

[Mac Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-thornberry/)

> [I didn't even need America, I was so popular outside the country, until the prosecutin' attorney came from Washington, and said, judge, we cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-didn-t-even-need-america-i-was-so-popular-outside-the-country-until/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [In Pakistan anti-American protesters set a Kentucky Fried chicken restaurant on fire. The protesters mistakenly thought they were attacking high-ranking U.S. military official Colonel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/in-pakistan-anti-american-protesters-set-a-kentucky-fried-chicken/)

[Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/)

> [Nov18Vineeth Reddy I liked the aicrtle a lot.A few questions and I don't mean to sound rude at all and also not anti American.What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesco/nov18vineeth-reddy-i-liked-the-aicrtle-a-lot-a-few-questions-and-i/)

Francesco

> [The debate about the war seems pretty robust and free. Many publications, from the New Yorker to the Nation, feel perfectly comfortable printing anti-American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-lowry/the-debate-about-the-war-seems-pretty-robust-and-free-many/)

[Rich Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-lowry/)

> [The Democrats have morphed themselves into the anti-worker, anti-American (as it relates to Iranian terrorists and China), and anti-family political party. They have strayed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-regan/the-democrats-have-morphed-themselves-into-the-anti-worker-anti/)

[Trish Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-regan/)

> [Well of course New Zealand isn't anti-American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-clark/well-of-course-new-zealand-isn-t-anti-american/)

[Helen Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-clark/)

> [“Mertins frequently upset his handlers, often selling to countries that were considered, at the very least, anti-American. His relationship with US Intelligence ended in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-feinstein/mertins-frequently-upset-his-handlers-often-selling-to-countries-that/)

[Andrew Feinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-feinstein/)

> [Assange is not a 'journalist' any more than the 'editor' of al-Qaeda's new English-language magazine 'Inspire' is a 'journalist.' He is an anti-American operative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/assange-is-not-a-journalist-any-more-than-the-editor-of-al-qaeda-s/)

[Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/)

> [Who cares if virtually the entire world views Obama's drone attacks as unjustified and wrong? Who cares if the Muslim world continues to seethe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/who-cares-if-virtually-the-entire-world-views-obama-s-drone-attacks/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [We will have to work around the world with less than ideal governments. The government in Saudi Arabia is not a democracy, but we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/we-will-have-to-work-around-the-world-with-less-than-ideal/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [College campuses have become fascist colonies of anti-American hate speech, hypersensitivity, speech codes, banded words and prohibited scientific inquiry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/college-campuses-have-become-fascist-colonies-of-anti-american-hate/)

[Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/)

> [Anti-Americanism is as old as the Republic--a historical constant, which is only remotely related to specific American behavior. So what is new? Andrei Markovits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-joffe/anti-americanism-is-as-old-as-the-republic-a-historical-constant/)

Josef Joffe

> [I think the people that Barack Obama has been associating with are anti-American, by and large.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-bachmann/i-think-the-people-that-barack-obama-has-been-associating-with-are/)

[Michele Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-bachmann/)

> [Americans need to understand that they have lost their country. The rest of the world needs to recognize that Washington is not merely the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/americans-need-to-understand-that-they-have-lost-their-country-the/)

[Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/)

[Browse all 91 Anti american quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-american/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think the behavior of the troops has been a huge factor in the rise of the insurgency and in the rise of the anti-American feelings there[in Iraq].",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Yaroslav Trofimov"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/i-think-the-behavior-of-the-troops-has-been-a-huge-factor-in-the-rise/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Anti american"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/i-think-the-behavior-of-the-troops-has-been-a-huge-factor-in-the-rise/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/yaroslav-trofimov-28338_anti-american_i-think-the-behavior-of-the-troops-has-b_653272.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/yaroslav-trofimov-28338_anti-american_i-think-the-behavior-of-the-troops-has-b_653272.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/yaroslav-trofimov-28338_anti-american_i-think-the-behavior-of-the-troops-has-b_653272.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think the behavior of the troops has been a huge factor in the rise of the insurgency and in the rise of…” — Yaroslav Trofimov",
                "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": "Yaroslav Trofimov",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think the behavior of the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/i-think-the-behavior-of-the-troops-has-been-a-huge-factor-in-the-rise/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/i-think-the-behavior-of-the-troops-has-been-a-huge-factor-in-the-rise/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
