An Afghan woman would eventually warn me of the differences between Afghans and Americans. Often, she explained, Afghans politely lied to their Western patrons about their true opinions, refraining from leveling criticism out of courtesy. Americans took everything at face value. Communication broke down for cultural reasons. I was told this, yet for my first days in Kabul, part of me still believed one thing the Afghans said—that despite our many failings, they hoped the West wouldn’t leave. I couldn’t help it; they all said the same thing.
