1. Afghanistan’s Contrasts

Afghanistan is a land of stark contrasts—“stunning mountains and lively marketplaces”

exist alongside the lasting damage of war and cultural repression.

Its rich heritage coexists with a history dominated by conflict and resilience.

2. Reflections from Afar

Observers often feel: “Thank God I wasn’t born in Afghanistan.”

This isn’t judgment, but gratitude for freedoms many take for granted—

the freedom to speak, learn, dream, and live without fear.

3. A Lost Era of Progress

In the 1960s and 1970s, cities like Kabul thrived.

Women “walked freely in Western clothing, earned degrees,

and worked as doctors, journalists, and educators.”

Art, music, and cultural festivals flourished, suggesting a promising future.

4. Decades of Reversal

That promise unraveled with war and extremist rule.

Under the Taliban, women were erased from public life,

girls’ schools closed, and fear became a constant.

Afghanistan became a place “where personal expression was criminalized.”