Time Magazine presents the following 1yr report card on progress in Afghanistan -

E D U C A T I O N

1 million	Afghan children, mostly boys, enrolled in school under the Taliban
4 million	Children now attending school—the most in the country's history—including 1.4 million girls

M I L I T A R Y

11,000	U.S. troops in Afghanistan
2,000	Foreign troops belonging to the U.S.-led coalition
6,000	Troops belonging to NATO-led security force based in Kabul

F O R E I G N  A I D

$4 billion	Aid pledged by the U.S. to Afghanistan in 2002, through the end of 2004
$5.2 billion	Aid pledged by other donors, including the European Union, Britain, Japan, Germany, Canada and the World Bank

C A S U A L T I E S

108	American soldiers killed in Afghanistan since October 2001
600	U.S. troops seriously injured
3,300	Afghan civilians killed

R E F U G E E S

2.5 million	Afghans who have returned home since the Taliban's fall
1 million	Afghan refugees still abroad
180,000	Afghans who remain internally displaced

W A G E S

$2.70	Average daily wage of an Afghan worker during the Taliban regime
$6.25	Average daily wage now

The econo-geek in me finds the daily wages stat particularly compelling because it represents an aggregate measure of so many underlying variables.    The politi-geek side of me is impressed by the returning refugees stat because, for a very, very large % of the world's population, the most meaningful & earnest way they can "vote" is with their feet.

As with any complex situation, you will find statistics where Afghanistan has regressed  (for ex., the size of the Poppy harvest).  But, their significance pales in comparison to these 2 big aggregate measures.  Raging, narco-infused, maniacal warlords certainly suck on an absolute basis, but 2.5M Afghani's found this situation better than whatever other choice they had earlier....

For those who are more moved by their heart strings, one particularly poignant story on the radio a few months ago was about the urgent need in Afghanistan for certain vaccines for precisely 50% of the country.   It turned out that the girls / women had never been vaccinated.

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UPDATE - things can't be too shabby when a new Hyatt hotel is coming into town -

KABUL, Afghanistan - Donning a hardhat, President Hamid Karzai helped break ground for a Hyatt Regency hotel in the Afghan capital on Saturday, saying it was a sign of progress in the war-ravaged nation.

The new hotel is being financed by a consortium of Afghan-American and Turkish investors and is expected to take at least 18 months to complete. It will have more than 200 rooms, restaurants and other business facilities.

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