"We didn't push the Russians to intervene, but we consciously increased the probability that they would.... Regret what? The secret operation was an excellent idea. It had the effect of drawing the Russians into the Afghan trap. You want me to regret that?"
When the interviewer asked if he regretted having supported the Islamic fundamentalists and giving arms and advice to future terrorists, Brzezinski replied
"What is more important to the history of the world... the Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some stirred up Muslims or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the Cold War?"