One thing folks in the US constantly seem to forget when denouncing other systems is folks in these countries are measuring against alternatives. What was the q

One thing folks in the US constantly seem to forget when denouncing other systems is folks in these countries are measuring against alternatives. What was the quality of the alternative the US provided? Did it inspire loyalty? Were the police we paid for helpful, or did they take our weapons and extort folks on the side of the road? Did police commanders take our money and pay their men or loot it? Was justice fair, or did the dollar win? Are there any places in Afghanistan where huge displays of wealth spring up set against grinding poverty (this is not uncommon when a western power allows elites to loot). Did Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo help us communicate our values effectively to the locals? Now we are going to cut them off and try and starve them. Biden and team think that will work better - we'll see.