Three years after the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan is once again tottering on the brink of chaos. The facts will be in plain view in Berlin at a two-day conference from Wednesday, when 54 nations assess the problems and progress since the U.S-led invasion of Afghanistan. Progress has been remarkable, but the problems that remain underscore the magnitude of the challenges that lie ahead. Events of the last decade make plain the price of failure to respond to the problems and overcome them. It is much too high.
A little more than two years ago, many of these same governments met in Bonn to lay out a road map for Afghanistan's reconstruction. Soon thereafter, the Japanese government chaired a donors' meeting in Tokyo that exceeded expectations by attracting $4.2 billion in pledges over five years.
That support has allowed Afghanistan to make considerable progress. A loya jirga has been convened, and it approved a constitution that lays out the framework for Afghanistan's transition to a truly democratic government, guaranteeing the human rights of all citizens. Elections are set to take place in September. The economy is growing at about 20 percent annually, and 5.3 million children returned to school when classes resumed this year. Clinics that offer basic health care are being opened throughout the country.