You know, America has profoundly shaped me, and I have two American children and unbelievably rich friendships so it will always be a source of joy and good memories.
Sovereignty of Afghanistan must be accepted categorically by Pakistan so that we can move forward.
President Truman made his name by looking into contracting. And that's how integrity within the military procurement started in the United States.
Organizations are accumulations of historical debris. They are not consciously thought. So when you ask the Education Ministry ‘What's your core function and who's your client?' they laugh at you. When I say that the client is the Afghan child - and the Ministry is an instrument, not the goal - it's greeted with shock. It's a new idea.
You can get together, you can talk as much as you want, but if there's not a decision-making process - that's where democracy really matters.
Every global leader that I have seen has at least agreed on one point: I do have the world's most difficult job. But I hope to make it easier for my successor.
In 2001, we didn't have an army; we had remnants of a dissolved army that had no hope. Our generals had literally become busboys.
Middle Eastern Muslim countries are not only important for Afghanistan due to common culture and faith, but also because of economic benefits.
There's a Darwinian struggle amongst terror groups for hegemony. Da'esh has broken out of the pack because Al-Qaeda and the rest rendered allegiance to Mullah Omar.
Particularly the mark for success for us would be that a woman can not only walk in the streets of every major city, but can go from one province to another without any hindrance.
I want to differentiate between stability and security: Stability comes from the hearts of people and acceptance of the judicial system. Security comes from the barrel of a gun and the threat of the use of force.
Money is not capital in most of the developing countries. It's just cash. Because it lacks the institutional, organizational, managerial forms to turn it into capital.
We've had a difficult legacy of 40 years, and cleaning up is not going to be a one day job. But we are engaged in a systematic effort, we have not allowed formation of new militia groups, and we are reforming the local police systematically so that there won't be abuse.
Afghanistan fortunately is one of the richest countries in terms of water, mineral resources, location and human capital.
Pathology by Daesh is distinctively to swallow its opponents, to frighten the population. In that regard, the threat is very real.
Thank God there has been no recurrence of 9/11. It is not because of luck - it is because of mass sacrifice and effort.
My central objective is, turn Afghanistan's location into a greater asset. Central Asia is becoming Afghanistan's major trading partner. The vision of connectivity is really important.
