Incompetence is a better explanation than conspiracy in most human activity.
Peter BergenRead
Like the attack on Pearl Harbor, another hinge event in American history, 9/11 was a great tactical victory for America's enemies. But in both these cases, the tactical success of the attacks was not matched by strategic victories. Quite the reverse.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that while both Pearl Harbor and 9/11 were successful attacks tactically, they ultimately did not lead to lasting strategic victories for the attackers.
Peter Bergen draws a parallel between the attacks on Pearl Harbor and 9/11, highlighting that although these events were tactically successful for America’s enemies, they failed to achieve lasting strategic outcomes. This underscores the idea that immediate victories in warfare or conflict do not guarantee long-term success or advantages, emphasizing the complexities of war and its aftermath in shaping history.
Themes
Tactical VictoryStrategic DefeatHistoryWarfarePearl Harbor9/11American History
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about wartime strategies, this quote could illustrate the difference between tactical success and overall strategic outcomes.
More from Peter Bergen
All quotes →Adding to your list of enemies is never a sound strategy, yet ISIS' ferocious campaign against the Shia, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, and Muslims who don't precisely share its views has united every ethnic and religious group in Syria and Iraq against them.
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The deep problems that afflict the Middle East are not easy to fix, but they must be dealt with if we are not to see a son of ISIS, or even a grandson of ISIS, developing in the years to come.
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The diagnosis that poverty, lack of education, or lack of opportunities have much to do with terrorism requires a fundamentally optimistic view of human nature. This diagnosis leads to the prognosis that all we need to do to solve the terrorism problem is to create societies that are less poor, better educated and have more opportunities.
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If the Arab Spring was a large nail in the coffin of al-Qaeda's ideology, the death of bin Laden was an equally large nail in the coffin of al-Qaeda the organization.
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Pakistan's key leaders have succumbed to the assassin's bullet or bomb or the hangman's noose, and the country has seen four military coups since its birth in 1947. Yet the Pakistani polity has limped on.
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