Amy subsided as Steve’s sharp gesture cut her off. “Bottom line, you can’t give freedom to people at the point of a sword—or gun—any more than you can give faith. And for much the same reason. It’s got to come from inside. You’d think we’d have learned that by now. Oh yes, I can testify the Afghans believed when we came here that we were powerful enough to whistle the warlords to heel, wipe out corruption, and restore stability with all the precision and speed of our guided missile system. They know better now. “But let me tell you what we expected. We expected that when we took away the excuses for these people to keep fighting and abusing each other that they would stop. That we could roll in with our money and heavy machinery and good intentions, have everyone shake hands, and get to work rebuilding this country.” Steve crushed his now-empty Coke can under his fist with a force that sounded like a gunshot. “Now you’ve been here—what, three or four days? And I’m betting you’ve already made the same snap judgments they all do.
