Commemorating the 10 year anniversary of 9/11, an incident in history that rocked the future of United States foreign as well as security policies, the book Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban, unveils the repercussions on the very country where it seemingly all began – Afghanistan
Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban written by Sarah Chayes, charts Chayes journey inside the country and addresses US foreign policy effects inside the region. Chayes journey in Afghanistan begins after she discovers how naïve and rather ignorant Americans are about Afghanistan. She leaves her job at a radio station in the United States and moves to Kandahar to help run an organization called Afghans for Civil Society, whose aim is to remove local warlords from power.
As David Rhode puts it, “Chayes gained an unparalleled understanding of southern Afghanistan, one of the most important yet least understood fronts in the war on terrorism”. She examines the regions complex culture and through her journey finds her mind and heart attached to the regions, despite the fact that many Taliban members came from there.
Chayes jumps from family to family and finally finds herself in the local library, unearthing centuries of Afghan’s rich political and cultural history. It is here where Chayes examines Americas misunderstanding of Afghanistan, the policies that have sprouted in result to that and the implications on the Middle East as a whole. Her biggest assault towards the United States was its arrogant and ignorant assertiveness it adopted in constructing Afghan foreign policy.
I enjoyed Chayes colorful language and prodigious metaphors, yet I struggled to get through the book after it turned from travelogue to a bureaucratic evaluation of the United States. I wouldn’t recommend this book to a reader looking for some light vacation reading, but if you’re looking for a serious understanding of US foreign policy in Afghanistan, then this book is golden. Many times I was confused and some of the language didn’t make sense. Perhaps if I were in college, majoring in this topic I would have gained more from the reading. On the contrary, I commend Chayes for her brilliant language and determination to understand Afghanistan, especially after 9/11 when Americans generally evoked a taboo over the region.
A dense, but incredibly interesting read.
One of the reasons why I did enjoy this book was because of the incredible optimism and determination throughout it. Despite the fact that many of Chayes American friends admonished what she was doing, she continued to live, breathe, and become a part of Afghanistan. In one interview, she said, “You know this old adage, 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again'? I think it's wrong. I think it's, 'Even if you know you're not going to succeed, you have to try.' We don't have the right to abandon this struggle.”
