Daily Inspiration Quote by John Abizaid

Abizaid isn’t talking about battlefield tactics here; he’s talking about political hygiene. The phrasing is careful, almost managerial, but the target is blunt: Iraq can’t be stabilized if the gun remains the country’s most persuasive institution. By framing it as a “mentality” that has to be “built,” he signals how deep the problem runs. This isn’t a policy tweak. It’s a reprogramming job in a state where coercive power has historically answered to strongmen, factions, and survival instincts more than to law.

The line’s real work happens in its double subordination: the military must answer to civilians and be “respectful of its own people.” Those are related but not identical demands. Civilian control is the democratic baseline; respect for the populace is the legitimacy test. Abizaid is implicitly acknowledging the nightmare scenario that haunts post-invasion Iraq: security forces that “work” in the narrow sense (crushing insurgents) but reproduce the old political sickness (abuse, sectarian capture, impunity). A military that terrorizes neighborhoods can win engagements while losing the country.

Context matters. Coming from a U.S. general during the Iraq War era, the statement also functions as a quiet brief for the American public and policymakers: don’t mistake training and equipment for success. You can build units quickly; you can’t rush norms. “I think you also understand” is a diplomatic nudge that doubles as pressure, reminding Iraqi elites and U.S. officials alike that without civilian supremacy and restraint, any security “solution” will be temporary, and the state will remain a uniform away from relapse.