Although the United States funded programs from 2001 to 2021 to promote democracy, the rule of law, and opportunities for Afghan women, existing reports and evaluations focused primarily on expenditures, implementation, outputs, and accountability rather than Afghan women’s perspectives, particularly after the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. This study addressed that gap by exploring how Afghan women experienced and understood democracy and the rule of law before and after the U.S. withdrawal and how U.S.-supported programs influenced their perceptions and experiences. Guided by theoretical frameworks of democracy and the rule of law as applied in Afghanistan and other global contexts, the study examined Afghan women’s understanding of these concepts and the contributions of U.S. programs or projects to their implementation. Using a qualitative case study design, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposeful sample of five Afghan women from different regions and backgrounds and analyzed the transcripts thematically through deductive and inductive coding, categorization, and the development of themes aligned with the research questions. Findings indicated that participants understood democracy primarily through education, equality, freedom, and individual rights rather than voting or political participation and understood the rule of law through the protection of rights and equal access to justice. The findings may contribute to positive social change by helping policymakers and international donors develop more responsive and sustainable initiatives for women in conflict-affected countries and societies undergoing democratic transitions.