..."the unpredictability of war - that once the first shots are fired or first bombs fall, as Churchill said, the political leader loses control. Events are in the saddle. It seems that every war is begun with the assumptions it will be short. In nearly every instance, going back far into history, that assumption has been wrong. And so it happened again in Iraq and Afghanistan, as swift and successful regime changes gave way to long and bloody conflicts. In light of history, how could anyone have been surprised that our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan took unanticipated turns?

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About Robert M. Gates

Robert M. Gates was a contemporary American intelligence analyst. Robert Michael Gates is an American intelligence analyst and university president who has served as the 24th Chancellor of the College of William and Mary since 2012. He previously served as the 22nd United States secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011 and as the 15th director of central intelligence from 1991 to 1993. Read more on Wikipedia →

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