Afghans: We’re OK, You’re OK

I’ve been pessimistic about Afghanistan’s future, but maybe it’s time to reconsider. Because the Afghans aren’t, according to this BBC poll. The results are striking. Afghans are much more likely than Americans to think their country is on the right track (70%, up from 40% last year). Afghans think much more highly of their President Karzai than Americans do of President Obama (72% approval). A whopping 90% prefer their current government over the Taliban, and 68% say they support the presence of American troops.
There’s lots more. One can wonder, of course, how accurate such polls can be. But if this one is at all representative, there may be more hope for Afghanistan than some of us thought.
PAUL adds: The findings regarding Karzai suprised me. The findings about support for American troops didn’t. They are consistent with what I’ve heard from Americans who have served in Afghanistan. The Afghans, they report, like us considerably more than the Iraqis do, and the feelings are mutual.

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