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MARCO WERMAN: In addition to Iran, the Obama Administration has a war in Afghanistan to worry about. The World's Aaron Schachter was last in Afghanistan more than two years ago and he's surprised at some of the changes he's already seen.
AARON SCHACHTER: The first surprise is Kabul Airport, more specifically the runway. It's packed with planes. Well, relatively speaking this isn't JFK, but to see a few dozen planes representing at least four commercial carriers and cargo companies in addition to the usually military hardware was somewhat shocking. It was so crowded today we had to wait about ten minutes for some airplanes to shove off before we could disembark. When we got to the terminal there wasn't the usual crush of people pushing forward to get their passport stamped. They actually waited patiently in a pretty orderly line, and the baggage claim process was a breeze. Then the drive into town was also off-putting in that it wasn't the least bit alarming. The usual jam of cars and ancient trucks was missing and the government has taken down the shanties that once lined the four lane road to prepare for a major upgrade. And the City of Kabul itself has been transformed in both good and not so good ways. There are more grocery stores with fancy foreign goods like peanut butter and more restaurants. I went to a great Lebanese joint for lunch today, but on second look the shops and eateries are much more heavily fortified than a couple of years ago. More gunmen are at the doors and gates, more sandbags and concrete blast barriers. Technology has also transformed the place. There's widespread use of WiFi. Cell phone use has skyrocketed. Getting started with phone service costs about five bucks. At the same time, the cell network has expanded dramatically; insurgents can now use mobile phones to track their victims in places where it was impossible just last year. Kandahar, another city I visited a few years ago, is now off limits to journalists without a 1500 dollar-a-day security detail. American officials tell me I have to look at the stats to a more balanced view of the place. More U.S. troops and State Department civilians are on the way. There are new roads, schools, almost 24/7 power in Kabul, but the message doesn't seem to be reaching ordinary Afghans whose everyday lives, for the most part, remain grim. For The World, I'm Aaron Schachter in Kabul.
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