Fawzia Koofi paints a picture of a remarkable aware Afghan society. A society that recognizes the forces of occupation for what they are, that sees terror as its real enemy (and the role of its neighbors in this very sharply) and welcomes the
Allies if they help them fight their war. A society that votes for those they really believe in, a society that knows where it stands and perhaps where it wants to go.  I am not sure whether any society, any people can have such a cohesive vision and I am aware that Fawzia’s statement comes from her particular standpoint.

But her optimism and that of Jason Burke is remarkable in the face of the setbacks Afghanistan has seen over the last several decades.

What also strikes me is that global perception is fickle and often partially informed. How can we presume to have opinions on places we know so little about!

Shoma’s comment that the global consumer of media has been trapped in a language expressed by people like Bush and part of the solution is about reframing the problem- that’s bang on!

Koofi is a woman and the Speaker of the Afhgan Parliament, contender for President in the elections to happen soon. Burke is a well known journalist intimately familiar with Afghanistan.