The Foreign Service Journal, December 2014

32 DECEMBER 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL to the American people early on, so they can decide on the basis of facts, not armchair opinions. We can start by inviting many more Afghans to visit and study in our country to deliver that message. Only a handful of Americans know about the bustling streets of Herat and Kabul, or the major advances being wrought by a new generation of educated young Afghans. ey have never heard of Afghan software entrepreneurs, artists and scientists. But when Amer- icans meet Afghans, particularly young people and women, and learn the reality of their country, their views change. Finally, the dedicated diplomatic and development profes- sionals of the Foreign Service who have served in Afghanistan should be traveling all over our country to tell people what they have seen rsthand there: a country that, despite massive problems and huge challenges, has made immense progress, and wants to be our partner and ally. ey can make the case that Afghans appreciate the sacri ces Americans have made on their behalf, and will be on our side for generations to come if we reorient our policies toward success—for both of our nations. Larger Goals Ful lling our repeated statements of commitment to con- tinue supporting the Afghan people, particularly women, will help us achieve larger goals: namely, ensuring that Afghani- stan does not return to the chaotic conditions that allowed al- Qaida to attack our country on Sept. 11, 2001, and stabilizing a region where extremism, nationalism, nuclear weapons and terrorism are a volatile mix that could reach out to threaten us in new ways. ese goals mesh with the kind of future the Afghan people voted for, and which the new government of President Ghani and Chief Executive O cer Abdullah Abdullah seeks to bring about. In helping to achieve them, we will prove to the world (and ourselves) that when America undertakes a mission, we not only accomplish it, but do so in a manner that lives up to our fundamental values. n The explanations for Americans’ astonishing ignorance about Afghanistan are many.