McMaster's next assignment was to examine the roots of a growing insurgency in [[Afghanistan]] where he found a very different war.
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McMaster's next assignment was to examine the roots of a growing insurgency in [[Afghanistan]] where he found a very different war. Lack of popular support for the government of [[Hamid Karzai]] was predicated on corruption exacerbated by massive amounts of foreign aid dumped into the country. The abuse of official positions of power for personal gain, McMaster told interviewers, “is robbing Afghanistan of much-needed revenue, undermining rule of law, degrading the effectiveness of state institutions, and eroding popular confidence in the government.” The ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' published an article saying that trying to stop corruption in Afghanistan is like trying to stop the tides. McMaster noted that view is seen as “bigotry masquerading as cultural sensitivity.”