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After our victory in Afghanistan and the defeat of the oppressors who had killed millions of Muslims, the legend about the invincibility of the superpowers vanished. Our boys no longer viewed America as a superpower. So, when they left Afghanistan, they went to Somalia and prepared themselves carefully for a long war. They had thought that the Americans were like the Russians, so they trained and prepared. They were stunned when they discovered how low was the morale of the American soldier. America had entered with 30,000 soldiers in addition to thousands of soldiers from different countries in the world. ... As I said, our boys were shocked by the low morale of the American soldier and they realized that the American soldier was just a paper tiger.

Osama bin Laden#1

WarMilitaryExpectationsMoralePerception

About this quote

What does it mean?
The speaker claims US soldiers had low morale compared to Russians, leading to surprise at their vulnerability.
In plain terms
Soldiers thought the US was strong but found them weak.
What can you take from it?
Appearances of power can be misleading.

Where it applies

  • war analysis
  • enemy assessment

Putting it to work

  • evaluate opponents critically

Questions to consider

  • How is morale measured?

Another view

Presents a single subjective viewpoint as fact.

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