Bring the heat

Today, day four in country, brought a nice taste of the summer months to come. It must have nipped at the 90 degree mark; the morning welcomed me with a nice dust storm off in the distance making it hard to discern the mountains normally so easily viewed.

The bits of dirt stuck to my face, my eyes got crusty and irritated. It didn't stop me from taking my first trip to check out some local merchants selling rugs, knock off watches, local crafts, custom made suits etc. I've been on such trips before, and in many different countries. What I've noticed is that these are a creative people -- they'll make money the old fashioned way. And if commerce takes hold and is provided the political stability to thrive, so will they.

The country, like Dubai, is under construction. Here, however, it centers around military infrastructure -- at least in the beginning. The coalition is training up the future of Afghanistan's military and national police to ensure the stability needed to turn the corner is achieved from an economical and social perspective. Police enjoy a major show of force on the roads in Kabul and the new national police are professionals worthy of respect by the citizens they protect.

I have no doubt that, given the opportunity, they (Afghans) will succeed -- they've been through worse over the years.