Today's Opinions: I was a combat interpreter in Afghanistan, where cultural illiteracy led to U.S. failure

Biden answers his critics on Afghanistan. Forcefully. ; Shockingly, Americans are taking a nuanced view of the Afghanistan pullout; Don't compound the Afghanistan mistake by fighting the last war; Our military's sacrifice in Afghanistan was not in vain; The departures from Afghanistan and Vietnam are not the same. But they raise the same haunting question. ; The 5th Circuit is staking out a claim to be America's most dangerous court; Don't forget Nicaragua's political prisoners; What Dr. Leana Wen's improbable journey says about our country; As Lou Grant, Ed Asner gave us comedy, drama and an indelible portrait of a hard-working journalist; Democrats, don't knuckle under to corporations on the reconciliation bill; 20 years of war; The graveyard of empires ; Afghan refugees will know indifference, bigotry — and also kindness — in America. They will also make it better.; The U.S. still doesn't know the pandemic's origins. The need for answers has never been greater.; Hurricane Ida shows the huge investments to protect New Orleans after Katrina paid off. It's a lesson for other cities.; The U.S. government left its own journalists behind in Afghanistan; There's a crisis of violence and racism in southern Mexico. It needs urgent attention. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sign up for this newsletter Read online Your morning dose of Post commentary and guest opinions.       By Ruth Marcus Deputy editorial page editor  Email Most of those of us watching the unfolding tragedy in Afghanistan from the United States may assume that the Afghan people are alarmed by the takeover of the Taliban. Baktash Ahadi, who served U.S. and Afghan Special Operations forces as a combat interpreter from 2010 to 2012, offers a more jarring view: "When comparing the Taliban with the United States and its Western allies, the vast majority of Afghans have always viewed the Taliban as the lesser of two evils," he writes. The reason, Ahadi argues, stems from the ways in which U.S. troops were separated from the Afghan population — and from how they interacted with civilians when they did, from failing to remove their sunglasses in a culture that values direct eye-contact to speaking directly to women in rural villages where norms forbid that. "Faux pas such as these sound almost comically basic, and they are," Ahadi writes. "But multiplied over millions of interactions throughout the United States two decades of wheel-spinning in Afghanistan, they cost us dearly in terms of local support."  This is a sobering piece in a sobering week. (Reuters) I was a combat interpreter in Afghanistan, where cultural illiteracy led to U.S. failure Time after time, I witnessed U.S. forces making basic, ultimately disastrous, mistakes. By Baktash Ahadi ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Biden answers his critics on Afghanistan. Forcefully. Biden made the call. History will judge. By Jennifer Rubin ●  Read more »   Shockingly, Americans are taking a nuanced view of the Afghanistan pullout Polls show that Americans disapprove of Biden's handling, but approve of withdrawal overall. By Greg Sargent ●  Read more »   Don't compound the Afghanistan mistake by fighting the last war For a change, the Taliban has the urgently ticking watches in Afghanistan; the United States has the time to get it right. By David Ignatius ●  Read more »   Our military's sacrifice in Afghanistan was not in vain Our troops service and sacrifice in Afghanistan helped purchase two decades of safety and security for the American people. By Marc A. Thiessen ●  Read more »   The departures from Afghanistan and Vietnam are not the same. But they raise the same haunting question. What were we fighting for? By Kathleen Parker ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   The 5th Circuit is staking out a claim to be America's most dangerous court This is a court that goes out of its way to reduce procedural obstacles and give a helping hand for litigants whose causes they favor. By Ruth Marcus ●  Read more »   Don't forget Nicaragua's political prisoners Seven potential candidates to challenge dictator Daniel Ortega in a Nov. 7 election have been jailed, and another is under house arrest. By Charles Lane ●  Read more »   What Dr. Leana Wen's improbable journey says about our country Wen's new memoir is a call to action on public health. By Karen Tumulty ●  Read more »   As Lou Grant, Ed Asner gave us comedy, drama and an indelible portrait of a hard-working journalist The role — gruff, wise editor with a heart of gold — was his masterpiece. By David Von Drehle ●  Read more »   Democrats, don't knuckle under to corporations on the reconciliation bill You think having corporations mad at you will be bad, just wait until the public decides you're ineffectual and weak. By Paul Waldman ●  Read more »     Editorial Cartoons 20 years of war Over the last two decades, approximately 66,000 Afghan military and police, 47,245 Afghan civilians and 2,352 U.S. military members have been killed, and more than $2 trillion has been spent. By Ann Telnaes ●  Read more »   The graveyard of empires By Michael de Adder ●  Read more »     The Post's View (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg) Afghan refugees will know indifference, bigotry — and also kindness — in America. They will also make it better. Thousands have arrived, and many more are coming. We've seen this before; it's America's story. By the Editorial Board ●  Read more »   The U.S. still doesn't know the pandemic's origins. The need for answers has never been greater. The recently released intelligence community report is inconclusive. By the Editorial Board ●  Read more »   Hurricane Ida shows the huge investments to protect New Orleans after Katrina paid off. It's a lesson for other cities. This hurricane shows that major risks can be managed. By the Editorial Board ●  Read more »     Global Opinions The U.S. government left its own journalists behind in Afghanistan The Biden administration still has unfinished business in Kabul. By Josh Rogin ●  Read more »   There's a crisis of violence and racism in southern Mexico. It needs urgent attention. The hodgepodge of contradictory immigration and asylum policies is not working, as has been made obvious in Chiapas. By León Krauze ●  Read more »   Get breaking news alerts, offline reading lists and more. Download the app     Try our new daily mini meta crossword It's a week-long adventure that connects a daily 5x5 mini puzzle with a special reveal on Saturdays. Play game   We think you'll like this newsletter Check out Follow Sergio Peçanha for email alerts every time Sergio publishes a new opinion column. Sign up »

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