Coming Home

A roundup of the past month's good news from Afghanistan.

"It was the first time we have ever seen an election," says Barak. "It was good to see people choosing their own leader." Rasoli adds: "I know when I go back that people are going to say bad things about America, about Jews and Christians. . . . I am going to tell them no. They are wrong. It is not like that."

Perhaps we need more such exchanges to build understanding between Afghanistan and the West. Since we can't all swap places with a family in Kabul for a month or two, it would be good to have comprehensive and balanced media reporting to build a clear picture of the realities, challenges and successes, not just disjointed glimpses when something goes wrong. Here are the past five weeks' worth of stories from Afghanistan that you might have missed.