While conducting research for this book I spoke with shopkeepers in Kabul and Kunduz, former Mujahadeen fighters, military personnel from several countries, civilian contractors, and consultants. They all raised the same three points regarding how long it will take for stability to come to Afghanistan. One pertains to the Afghans’ perception of time and history and is presented thusly. In the US, people seem to think in terms of two- or four-year electoral cycles when setting policy, Russians think in terms of decades, while the Chinese think in terms of centuries. The Afghans have no sense of time. What happened when the British invaded in the mid-19th century, or if a family member was insulted 200 years ago is contemporary to them. This is a generalization, but one that’s not too far off the mark.
The second is that the level of corruption has to be brought down to acceptable levels. It will take 20–25 years before Afghanistan will become a stable nation governed by an Afghan version of democracy. This timeframe is set by the maturing of men and women now in their 20s and 30s who have been exposed to western culture most of their lives. They have access to the Internet and social media almost everywhere in the country, strange as it sounds for a country without good roads, a nation-wide power grid, or other infrastructure, which developed nations take for granted.
I fell in love with the country and the people I had the chance to meet and share meals with (by the way, the food is fantastic). Each person has the same hopes for peace as everyone else, and the same wish for a better life for their children. For many, their hopes were raised with the defeat of the Taliban. Now, 13 years later, they realize that these hopes will be delayed, possibly beyond their children’s lifetimes.
What the men and women who fought in Afghanistan feel about the situation, I don’t know, and it’s a question I won’t ask. They fought, and many of their friends were killed or wounded to secure enduring freedom for the Afghans. Whatever they feel, their voices leave an enduring record of their accomplishments and sacrifices. May they forever be remembered, and may we all keep the faith with them.