Postcard From Kabul Tells Of Fear And Hope

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MICHEL MARTIN, host:

People all over the world are wondering how the new administration will affect their lives. Writer Gayle Tzemach sent us this postcard from Afghanistan.

Ms. GAYLE TZEMACH (Writer): On the clogged streets of Kabul, yellow and white taxis battle donkeys, bicycles and the occasional daring pedestrians. A few million now crowd into a capital meant for only a few hundred thousand. This week, my driver and I ran through our first stop sign. Written in English with the same red background and white letters as in the U.S., the sign provides little relief for the city's congestion. I imagine most people crossing the intersection have no idea what the letters S-T-O-P mean, just as American drivers wouldn't know what to make of signs written in Dari(ph).

A few minutes after coasting safely through the intersection, I saw a beautiful white horse galloping with his cart and driver down one of Kabul's main streets. Life here is fragile. No ducking from mortality the way we do in Western countries. In Afghanistan, it is in your face. Recently, I was about to set off for a meeting when I learned the nephew of the young woman I planned to see was murdered in street violence the night before. Another acquaintance was to dine with an Afghan friend who cancelled when his younger brother was kidnapped.

Criminal activity is now as feared as the Taliban. Afghans and foreigners alike stay indoors to avoid the marauding gangs, kidnapping and killing for dollars. A young Afghan told me, no one knows what will happen next year. All I know is if they're going to get me, they'd better just shoot me. My family wouldn't pay the ransom, and my NGO doesn't have insurance.

Last Tuesday, a hive of excited Americans celebrated election night, watching CNN and drinking blue cocktails at an airy Kabul bar shuttered behind metal doors and armed guards. The collection of aide workers cheered Obama's win, donning Yes We Can T-shirts and signing the Obama '08 wall banner. Afghans were just as captivated by the vote 6,000 miles away. Nearly everyone I talked to asked me about it. What did I think about President-elect Obama? What is his policy toward Afghanistan? Do I think he is serious about focusing on their country?

Pulling up to a short and dingy apartment block, I walked up three sets of stairs to meet a woman who organized schools and sewing classes for girls during the Taliban years. She congratulated me on Obama's win. I hope he will hope to make things better here, she said. I believe that if the U.S. really wanted to bring peace and security to Afghanistan, it would.

MARTIN: Writer Gayle Tzemach is in Afghanistan researching a book on women entrepreneurs.

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