Afghanistan
Unless you've been living in a hole in the ice in Antarctica for the last few months, you'll be aware of what's happened in Afghanistan since the infamous day of September 11, 2001.
In February 2002, an interim government took power in Kabul. Although some infighting is still taking place among tribal factions, the Taliban has been vanquished. Foreign troops are on the ground attempting to help the interim government hold power.
Some things went back to normal right away: people lined up to buy cassettes and CDs, and TV stations starting putting a few female broadcasters back on the air. Girls went back to school, and a handful of women dared to show their faces in public. Some men shaved off their long scraggly beards.
But the fact is that Afganistan is desperately poor, and still quite dangerous. So it's still basically a write-off for tourism.
Kabul, once a colourful and cultured city, is now a wreck of half-ruined buildings and pot-holed streets.
Perhaps some day it will once again be a backpackers' haven, but for now, it's not the best place to go unless you want an extreme adventure or are working for an aid agency.
This page last updated October 31, 2003.