Note that Akiyev and Karimov do not appear to agree with people in North America who believe that Afghanistan has seen no improvement since 2001. ;)
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Quite.
But then again, their area of concern is whether or not their strategic situations as regards Afghanistan is sufficiently stable.
Not whether or not Afghan kids are receiving an education, if aid money is being properly spent, if roads, hospitals and all the rest of it are being constructed.
These are the improvements that are lacking in any real way -- despite billions of dollars floating around which, you'd imagine, would go a long way in Afghanistan.
My point here is very simple: I'm willing to make a wager that the continuing neglect of the needs of most Afghans will bite everyone in the ass in the not very distant future -- parliamentary elections notwithstanding -- just the way it bit everyone in the ass before.
It took years and years for that karma to ripen. Let's not be too celebratory yet.
.d.
-- http://monroelab.net/ <<<<<>>>>> groove to my groove