Afghans and Egyptians both see US backing corrupt thugs

Do we think they don’t care?

Dexter Filkins in the New Yorker:

On corruption, the American strategy isn’t clear. The American military appears to be succeeding in clearing the Taliban from large swaths of southern Afghanistan. But then what? At some point, the Afghans themselves have to take over—that is, the Afghan government. Without a government that is legitimate—that serves the people—it’s hard to imagine that the hard-won American gains can ever stick.

Which brings us back to Egypt. For thirty years, the United States supported a government that was predatory and corrupt. And so are we in Kabul. After Tahrir Square, do we really think the Afghans won’t notice?

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