Kite Runner

Benjamin Disraeli once said "In a progressive country change is constant; . . . change . . . is inevitable." In our knowledge, it's important that we understand that change can occur anywhere, at anytime. For example, in Afghanistan, many changes have occurred within the government, the quality of life, as well as, civil liberties. Khaled Hosseini, the author of The Kite Runner, painted a clear picture of the way Afghanistan was before the U.S invasion. It helps us visualize that Afghanistan was not always an extreme Muslim country and that life was normal there, even beautiful for some before the intrusion of the Taliban.

Amir was the son of a wealthy man. For him, Afghanistan was a wonderland of opportunity. Fear of the Taliban was not an issue, and childhood was basically a "worry-free" stage of life. In The Kite Runner, Amir frequently describes annual "Kite-Running" contests, in which Afghanistan was his playground. He reminisces about reading books under a fruit tree and watching American movies with Hassan. Baba, his father, owned a Mustang, and it was more than common for them to wear blue jeans. Hosseini's description of life in Afghanistan through Amir's eyes is much like the lives of many Americans presently. There was no fear of safety, anxiety over the loss of one's liberty, or major revolutionary political unrest. It was a prosperous and promising time that would be changed by the invasion of the Russian military. This would ultimately bring about the rise of the Taliban and the decline of the standard of living in Afghanistan. (Hosseini)

In the Trans-metropolitan, Warren Ellis once said, "There's one hole in every revolution, large or small. And it's one work long--people...It's people that kill every revolution." In the case of Afghanistan, these "people" would be the Taliban and other antigovernment forces. Despite the US efforts to reshape the political status, the progress of Afghanistan is only "half-full." The US forces were able to reinstall Hamid Karzai who heads a government of northern minority leaders and fellow returnees. But the US has had little or even no control outside of Kabul, which is partly due to the local commanders and warlords who hold the real power. After insurgent attacks, the US launched many counterinsurgency missions which included Operation Valiant Strike (southern Afghanistan), Operation Mountain