Rumsfeld and the chairman of the military Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters that U.S. troops were struggling to secure Baghdad and intervening when possible to stop looting two days after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's rule. "It's untidy. And freedom's untidy. And free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things," stormed Rumsfeld, his hand chopping the air for emphasis in response to reporters' questions at a Pentagon briefing. "They're also free to live their lives and do wonderful things. And that's what's going to happen here," he added after reporters asked what steps U.S. forces were taking to stop the looting. Media reports from Baghdad and other cities overrun by the U.S.-led invasion have chronicled an orgy of looting, often by armed men, at government buildings but also at local shops, private businesses and hospitals, which have been stripped. The secretary condemned the reports, which have marred the image of exuberant Iraqis welcoming the troops. The invasion ended more than two decades of brutal rule by Saddam. He said television images of acts of looting and violence were played "over and over again"
Quoted Feb. 27, 2003, in a town hall meeting in Italy by U.S. Dept. of State
"It's interesting, with the end of the Cold War, people kind of relaxed, took a deep breath and said, "Well, that took care of that." Fifty years we were steady, the Western Europeans were steady, we defeated that danger that existed on the face of the Earth, and it was an enormous accomplishment. And with a deep breath, everyone said, "Well, that takes care of that." And here we are, a decade later-plus, and we recognize that we still live in a dangerous world, we live in an untidy world, we live in a new security environment. And we can live in that world, we can. We can do it. We can't do it without paying attention, we can't do it without a terrific armed force that we have here, we can't do it without working closely with our allies because we do live in a world that's increasingly interdependent, but we can do it, and by golly, we will.
Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 23, 2003
Military action, once approved, should be early, forceful, and free from arbitrary deadlines or restrictions. Nor should military goals be compromised to win international support - an attitude that's rankled US allies and drawn fire from critics as unilateralist. His mantra: "The mission determines the coalition." Rumsfeld's calls for a strong, unfettered military reflect his view of the world as a "dangerous and untidy"place, an impression that likely began in his wartime childhood.
Quoted Jan. 22, 2003 to the National Guard
"At this time of call-ups, alerts, mobilizations and deployments, and uncertainty, please know that the American people are counting on you and have full confidence in you," Rumsfeld said. "We can all live our lives as free people in this dangerous and still untidy world and in this new century because brave men and women like you voluntarily put your lives at risk to defend our freedom."
"Now, do I believe that we live in a world that's dangerous and untidy? Do I believe that the 21st century security environment is notably different than the 20th century? You bet. Am I deeply concerned about the connection between weapons of mass destruction in terrorist states and terrorist networks and the danger that that poses, not to kill a few hundred or a few thousand, but tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people with chemical or biological or radiation or nuclear weapons? You bet I'm concerned."
Interview with Mike Gallagher, US Dept. of Defense press release, Oct. 31, 2002
He then made a conscious decision to accept the disadvantages in favor of taking the advantages of going to the United Nations and having a worldwide dialogue and debate. "Now in each case the debate's a little untidy and there are a lot of things said, but for the most part the important issues do get elevated and people do have a chance to think about them, talk about them, and develop convictions about them. And because we are in this new century and this new security environment, it seems to me that he made the right decision notwithstanding the fact that there are disadvantages to doing what he did. There are many more pluses, I would say."
Quoted 8/14/02 by Dept. of State
American Forces Information Service at and in Rumsfeld noted that theU.S. government's official policysince 1998 has been to work toward regime change in Iraq andthat such a change might be"untidy." But that shouldn't be reason enough to not promote change. "Democracy is untidy. Freedom is untidy. Liberation is untidy," he said.
Afghanistan was a "model" of what could happen if a country were "liberated", Rumsfeld said. "It is a breathtaking accomplishment." "Now, of course one worries about what will follow" in Iraq if the current regime was gone, Rumsfeld said. "We worried about it in Afghanistan and we still are. We are still anxious to see that government put in place by the Afghan people find its sea legs and start getting some support from the rest of the world," he said. That will take time and effort to accomplish and in the meantime "it's kind of untidy", Rumsfeld said. "Well, my goodness, democracy is untidy. Freedom is untidy. Liberation is untidy," he said. "It's a very good thing that's happened in Afghanistan. And all of this Henny-Penny 'the sky is falling, and isn't it terrible?' is nonsense," Rumsfeld said. A senior White House official said Bush has not set a timetable for overthrowing Saddam and may not do so this year. "He has not set a timetable and, as he said, if he had he would not tell you anyway," the official said. Bush has set as a US goal an end to Saddam's government, but has said he would consult the Congress and the nation's allies before acting.
July 2, 2002, Interviewed about the attack on a wedding party in Afghanistan and here
"Let me try to put the subject of the International Criminal Court into a context. The United States does not subscribe to it and does not believe we should be under its jurisdiction. It is a distinctively different treaty in that it presumes to take jurisdiction over everyone in the world regardless of whether or not they signed and ratified the treaty. The world is a more peaceful and stable place, as dangerous and untidy as it may be, because of the United States of America working with its coalition partners and alliances and U.N. peacekeeping groups and NATO peacekeeping groups around the world. We believe it's useful and helpful to our country and to our friends and allies to be engaged in the world. The existence of this International Criminal Court, which came into effect yesterday, July 1st, is a threat to civilian, military, individuals from the United States of America, regardless of whether they're doing peacekeeping or warfighting.
Quoted in March, 2002 regarding the killing of anti-Taliban forces
Acknowledging that the deaths were “unfortunate” and denying prisoners’ claims that they were kicked and beaten by U.S. forces, Rumsfeld explained that military action in Afghanistan is sometimes “untidy.”
Quoted May 25, 2001 in a speech to armed forces in Aerotech News & Review
"It's because you stand ready to respond at a moment's notice if any should threaten our country, that our nation is able to contribute to peace and stability in this still dangerous and untidy world," he said. But the threats are changing. With the end of the Cold War, the world has entered a much different era with different adversaries, dynamics and threats.">
DOD News Briefing, Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Nov. 6, 2001
"The United States has a sizable task before it, to seek out the opportunities and manage the challenges that this conflict presents. We need to avoid the tendency simply to think near-term, but rather to consider how the world might look five, 10, 15 years out and take advantage of this opportunity to work with friends new and old to try to help shape that world. And I believe we have an opportunity to do just that: not just to defeat terrorism, but to help to shape a 21st century security environment in ways that will help contribute to peace and stability in what is clearly a still dangerous and untidy world."
"Toward 21st-Century Deterrence" Wall Street Journal, June 27, 2001 Also here
"At this moment, we are enjoying the benefits of unprecedented global economic expansion, driven by information technology, innovative entrepreneurs, and the spread of democracy and free market economies. But we cannot have a prosperous world unless we have a peaceful one. The security and stability that the U.S. armed forces provide is the critical underpinning of that peace and prosperity. Imagine what might happen if a rogue state were to demonstrate the capability to strike U.S. or European populations with nuclear, chemical or biological weapons of mass destruction. A policy of intentional vulnerability by the Western nations could give this state the power to hold us hostage. This scenario leaves us with three choices in the face of aggression: acquiesce and allow the rogue to invade its neighbors; oppose it and put Western population centers at risk; or pre-empt its action. Intentional vulnerability would make building coalitions against aggression difficult, if not impossible, and could lead to a rise in isolationism -- something we can ill afford without damaging economic progress in the still dangerous and untidy world of the new century. If we are to extend this period of peace as far into this new century as possible, we must anticipate the new threats we will face."