David Petraeus on Israel-Gaza conflict, Ukraine and evolution of warfare
August 2024 · 2 minute read
Gen. David H. Petraeus has co-written a new book, “Conflict,” which traces the evolution of warfare from 1945 to the present. Petraeus joins The Post’s David Ignatius to discuss his new book, the war between Israel and Hamas and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“As you know, you’ve covered all of these different conflicts and generally it requires the United States to be the foundational piece. We saw this in Afghanistan, the minute we said we’re going to pull out our final 3,500 troops, all the other countries which wanted to stay and would’ve stayed, had we continued, had to pull out as well. Because without the U.S. you don’t have that. It’s conceivable that there could be some country that could show that capability, but I’m not aware of it.” - Gen. David H. Petraeus (U.S. Army, Ret.) (Video: Washington Post Live)
“There has to be a vision for Palestinians post-Hamas, in Gaza. If you’re eliminating the political wing that means you’re taking out the government … The ideal would be a Palestinian entity that is competent, capable, trustworthy. I don't think that exists." - Gen. David H. Petraeus (U.S. Army, Ret.) (Video: Washington Post Live)
“President Xi told his military to be ready in 2027, but that doesn’t mean they [invade Taiwan] in 2027. So again, certainly not any time soon. I think that’s an accurate assessment. Although, some of the pressure and other activities undoubtedly will continue. Here, I think the biggest of the big ideas is what are the components of deterrence? And essentially, they are potential adversaries' assessment of your capabilities on the one hand and your willingness to employ them on the other. If you approach it from a U.S. perspective with our allies and partners in the region, our capabilities are quite solid. But we need to transform them in very simplistic terms … sea, air, ground … That transformation needs to be accelerated.” - Gen. David H. Petraeus (U.S. Army, Ret.) (Video: Washington Post Live)
“The biggest takeaway from the book is that strategic leadership really matters. It often has a determinant impact on a particular conflict … It all starts with getting the big ideas right. If the leader doesn't do that, the conflict has a pretty dim chance of being successful for that particular side.” - Gen. David H. Petraeus (U.S. Army, Ret.) (Video: Washington Post Live)
