Afghanistan: State of the Nation 1

As I've said previously, Afghanistan has been brought to the forefront of public debate in the last few weeks, not least because Obama has announced his new strategy for the war. Indeed, it is now being defined as "his war" and, hence, one of the main pillars that will define his presidency.

However, whilst the possibility of more troops has been debated at length, very little is written about what is actually happening on the ground. Not just what the troops are doing, or what is happening in the presidential palace but the state of the nation on the ground. I am going to try and bridge that gap. As such I have a number of questions I want to answer:

How much of the country does Karzai control? Do Taliban factions have control over parts of the country?

What stage is reconstruction at?

Schools/hospitals

Utilities (gas/electricity/water etc)

Who’s paying for this?

What countries have troops in the country?

To what extent have the extreme laws of the Taliban era been repealed?

What is the role of Pakistan in defeating rebels?

Answers coming soon........ (anything anybody wants to add?)