Political Quotes

Gilbert Gutknecht: “I think most of us, and I certainly speak for myself, went to Bosnia with a bad attitude about the entire mission. Those…”

On the recordMarch 18, 1998
I think most of us, and I certainly speak for myself, went to Bosnia with a bad attitude about the entire mission. Those of us who had a little bit of a history lesson in that particular region of the world were aware that they have been fighting over there literally since, I believe it is 1279. I think the feeling that I took with me was these people have been fighting in the Balkans for all of these generations, they have very long memories, it is a trouble spot that will probably never completely heal. My attitude going over there was that this was an act of ultimate American arrogance. To believe that somehow the Nazi panzers and previous occupation armies could not ultimately bring lasting peace to the Balkans, how is it that we now seem to believe that the American forces will magically make these people begin to love each other?
Said by
Gilbert Gutknecht
Republican · Minnesota
Source
govinfo.gov

Editor's note · Context

Discussing his initial skepticism about the U.S. mission in Bosnia.

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