"I prefer the Russians"
To be filed under "America: yup, still unpopular"
Time heals all wounds, even the cracks in the rusted Soviet tanks left over from their 1980s occupation of Afghanistan.
During another weekly Dari lesson with my teacher in Kabul, I got an enlightening reality check about how America is perceived, especially by younger generations. For context, I’m not so naieve to think that Americans are embraced with open arms the world over, quite the opposite. I was 16 when 9/11 happened, so coming of age in the Iraq War era definitely impacted how I perceived my own country. Still I was surprised to hear my teacher’s response when I asked about her views on Russians.
Rececntly I’d read that some Afghans still hold grudges against Russia; in fact, some even hold grudges against Brits for the multiple wars fought in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (Impressive.)
“Honestly, I’d rather be colonized by the Russians.”*
I think there are a few factors at play with her explanation, but it’s also just my educated guess. The first is her living under American occupation which, if you’re reading this blog, you probably know how that turned out.
The other factor is her being Hazara. I don’t know enough about the intracacies of tribal life in Afghanistan yet, so anyone reading this shaking a proverbial fist at my theory is welcome to drop a comment. But since Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and are the only ones who can hold the presidency, I’m assuming they would be the main tribal group that the U.S. would have had to “win over” to effectively fight the Taliban while standing up an alternative government. My teacher’s apparent disdain for Pashtuns in *certain* contexts is a bit of a hint that the perceptions of Americans may vary from tribe to tribe.
According to her, the Russians invested heavily in the country’s infrastructure while the Americans mainly provided weapons (and left the country in the hands of terrorists aka the Taliban.) She recognized that the U.S. had undoubtedly poured boatloads of money into the country and yet, to her, there was little to show for it—and SIGAR seems to confirm the same.
As I get older, I realize how much of my life I truly believed in America’s vision and promise, only to see the unfortunate repercussions of our geopolitical hubris. My brain understands how our bravado—underscored by America’s young age and geographic isolation—has led us down a path of a bruised image and lack of trust in our ideals, starting with Vietnam and ending on a lackluster coda in Afghanistan. Emotionally, part of me truly laments our missteps; it’s a strange experience to wake up to your country’s broken promises over the course of your lifetime. Especially when you grow up in a John Hughes-esque suburban paradise where bike rides and games of kick-the-can ruled until the street lights came on.
I want to hear the hard and honest truths from people who actually live the experiences that I digest through a Netflix documentary. I think it’s important that Americans not just sit with our fuckups, but see them as opportunities to enter into a new era where America has its humble pie and can eat it, too. Until then, my crash courses in corrective history will have to be enough for me to become a more pragmatic, yet optimistic American.
*I interpreted ‘colonized’ to mean ‘occupied.’