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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (365038)	3/1/2003 3:01:07 PM
From: Thomas A Watson	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

Winning the Peace in Afghanistan Critics of U.S. plans for regime change in Iraq would do well to take note of recent developments in the last country where America routed an evil dictatorship - Afghanistan. Among the details revealed this week in a little noticed report in the Boston Globe: "A handful of new restaurants followed close behind the swarm of international aid workers, diplomats, and journalists that descended upon Kabul after the Taliban were ousted in November 2001. Diners can pick from Indian, Chinese, and Italian, or stop in for cappuccino at the new Mustafa Cafe, housed in a guesthouse of the same name run by an Afghan who returned from New Jersey." The Afghan hospitality industry still falls short in one category: western style hotels. But the Globe noted: "The Intercontinental, a popular hub for meetings and dining, is also getting a face lift. In October, the Dub"ai-based Al Yuqoub group bought a 15-year lease for the hotel, pledging to invest $8 million in improvements over 15 months to bring it to five-star level." Other signs that civilization is suddenly blooming in the one-time hideout of the late Osama bin Laden include "a busy internet cafe" and one restaurant that has begun to feature live music. "There also are plans for a big hotel opposite the US Embassy. The prospective investors, from the United States and Turkey, are in talks with the Hyatt about managing the hotel and are reportedly close to a deal," the paper adds. Another intriguing development, reports Chicago Sun-Times gossip maven Michael Sneed, is a plan by the government of Afghanistan to sponsor a trade and investment show in Chicago this summer. Will handwringing Democrat ex-presidents and the anti-American protesters they encourage admit they were wrong when the first McDonalds opens up in Saddam Hussein's gulag on the Tigris? Don't hold your breath. newsmax.com