There is a lot that has been said about what the U.S. needs to do or not do to win the over the hearts and minds of locals in either Afghanistan or Iraq. I believe it ultimately boils down to the alignment of ambitions and goals; to get locals to realize that you’re on their side. The following photograph distills the essence of that connection. We just need to replicate the experience shared between this soldier and the Afghan man millions of times over. It can be done!

An Afghan man gives tea to a U.S soliders of 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division patrol during a search operation to hunt members of Taliban in Nerkh district of Wardak province in west of Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, May 1, 2009.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)