A Long Road to Progress

Fascinating dispatches from a Kiwi Commander in Afghanistan.

As Commander of the New Zealand troops in the Bamiyan Province of Afghanistan, Colonel Richard Hall gained a unique insight into the lives of Kiwi soldiers serving in a harsh climate amid daily threats, as well as into the lives of the locals - from the female governor trying to establish order in a patriarchal society, to the farmer scratching a living from an inhospitable land, to the orphaned girls destined to be sold into marriage at a young age. He vividly and movingly recalls his experiences, but also explains the vision he tried to implement on behalf of New Zealand. He tackles the complex issues involved in an army that seeks to bring both aid and a Western way of doing things in a deeply Islamic country. And he offers an astute perspective on working with New Zealand troops, American soldiers, corrupt Afghani officials, intransigent aid organisations, while tackling crippling poverty, insurgent attacks, impossible terrain and severe weather. This is an important and fascinating view of New Zealand's role in Afghanistan.