An eyewitness account of the return to warlordism in Afghanistan after the TalibanSarah Chayes was an overseas correspondent for America's National Public Radio network (NPR) when war broke out in Afghanistan in 2001. Reporting from the Taliban's home base of Kandahar, Chayes gained access to leading members of the Taliban, Afghan politicians and warlords, US military and diplomatic troops. She saw the US government and armed forces unwittingly aiding the return to power of corrupt warlords, as well as the re-infiltration of bands of Taliban forces supported by US ally Pakistan.The Punishment of Virtue is not just a book about the Afghan conflict. It's an illuminating look at what happens when superpowers impose their might on countries they do not understand, without proper plans or knowledge of how to deal with post-conflict situations. Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq - we see it happen time and time again.