“Islamic State is following a clear strategy. First, it wants to solidify its power in Iraq and Syria. Then, their fighters will try to advance to Syria’s Mediterranean coast.”

The fight against corruption is successful if you prevent corruption taking place in the first place.

Maliki saw Islamic State as a way to exert pressure. If I am not re-elected, terror will befall you – that was his message.

The Americans stabbed in the back the forces that worked to bring about the collapse of Saddam’s regime and wanted to keep Iraq a sovereign country.

The meeting is called by the U.S. to give their vision of the interim Iraqi authority. It will be a one-day meeting. And the U.S. will present its vision, and there will be a statement after the meeting.

There is no Kurdish state. But that shouldn’t prevent the Kurds from continuing to develop their own institutions. Still, the best thing for them would be to remain a part of Iraq, but in return we must treat them with respect – their nationality, their language and their culture.

Not because Iraq will be an aggressive state against them, but rather by the example that will be set by a successful federal democratic state in Iraq.

And we are grateful to the American young men and women who are risking their lives to give the Iraqi people this chance, this dream of democracy in Iraq now.

We want to be the masters of ourselves and to carry our responsibilities in this region.

The view that we hold in Iraq now is this – that democracy is associated with elections. I believe that elections are possible.

Iraq will not allow any action on its soil that could harm the U.S. We don’t want any action from our soil to target our neighbors.

Now, we need a joint military leadership so that the Kurds and the army can retake Mosul.

Already, Islamic State has broad support in many cities there. And when they get there, it will once again come as a great surprise to everybody.

The fight against corruption is not bound to high-profile arrests and high-profile investigations.

Baathism in Iraq equals Nazism in Germany.

Many Sunnis joined Islamic State because they felt they were being treated poorly.

Democracy in Iraq will be an example that the Arab population will look to with great interest. And some Arab governments are concerned about democracy in Iraq.

For the most part our leaders are merely following out in front; they do but marshal us the way that we are going.

We had a close connection in life, and I still carry that connection in following my dream. This is because of my parents, the closeness that we had and what we share together.

For the most part our leaders are merely following out in front; they [only] marshal us in the way that we are going.

Deep down, everything boils down (“au fond tout se ramène”, Fr.) to the following simple question; Do we really want justice and the realization in this world of higher principles, or else do we want to serve selfish.

Mom used to frame everything we made, and now I’m following her example. It makes children so proud to see their work on display instead of hidden away.

I have held the following jobs: office temp, ticket seller in movie theatre, cook in restaurant, nanny, and phone installer at the Super Bowl in New Orleans.

Only I can’t do them so I ended up on my ass followed by the most unsightly backward roll out of it, followed by the cast falling over in laughter and a good portion of the audience too.

They’re all a huge influence on me. For me, just following rock history and watching Darkness On the Edge of Town and realizing that’s it’s okay to be obsessed with a snare sound because Bruce Springsteen was obsessed with a snare sound.