her, Afghanistan—its apples rotting on the ground, its factories rusting, and its lapis lazuli mines inactive—was a kingdom of untapped wealth that hadn’t become much improved with the influx of aid projects. If Afghans in the countryside complained about bombs, Afghans in Kabul complained about USAID. General Stanley McChrystal’s surge (and Obama’s) had meant billions of more dollars for USAID, which built schools, “implemented farming initiatives,” and set up weaving looms for poor women, generally serving as the kinder face of America in the world. But USAID, too, was in a state of decline.
