I sincerely hope that the Government knows what it is doing. After Billions of $$$, over 9 years, all we have to show for it is a corrupt Karzai regime (who barely has control over Kabul, let alone the entire country) and pockets of violence all over and spilling into Pakistan … This latest troop surge and the additional funds (from where? I have no idea) is hopefully based on some really good planning.

Including Iraq, we have a very fragile region of the world struggling to find an optimal balance.

Though I would love to visit Iraq and Afghanistan, as a tourist, looks like it wont happen …

By the by, my family spent 5 years in Iran (latter years of Shah and the initial couple of years of Khomeini) when my father worked in Zabul, Chahbahar and Zahedan as an Eye Doctor.