Thank you, America

On my first day in Kabul, Afghanistan, I visited the home of my college's student, Sabira.  Her Father was insisted on picking me up at the airport and hosted me for a long lunch.  These workmen were in the courtyard outside my student's house and, after seeing me through the window, asked to come in and meet me.

Here is the video on my YouTube page

They wanted to say 'Thank You' to America.

I have heard this before, though not as often as I hear disappointment. However, the disappointment is not from our killing civilians or failing to respect Muslim culture, it is from our failure to defeat the Taliban. This has been the main complaint during all my trips to Afghanistan.

Another thing that has been a common theme on this trip is frustration that the reconstruction aid all seems to go to the areas that are controlled by the Taliban and people that don't support America, while the people in areas that are happy to work with the US and want to have a modern, democratic country are left to fend for themselves.

It makes sense to try to give young men that are joining the Taliban an alternative to fighting, but we can end up spending all our effort on trying to make our enemies like us and failing to back our friends. Caesar's policy in Gaul was first and foremost to see to it that the enemies of Rome were seen to suffer and the friends of Rome were seen to prosper. Maybe we should start thinking a bit more like the Romans.