This has been a roller-coaster year for Afghans. It has included vigorous presidential and provincial election campaigns, a protracted political crisis, the formation of a government of national unity, the inauguration of a president with big new ideas, a financial crunch, devastating natural disasters, widening Taliban attacks and a surge in the number of Afghans being killed. Meanwhile, the US-led International Security Assistance Force is winding down and will conclude in December.
Many hope that the ride will be less nerve-racking from now on. But the future may be just as tumultuous.
The era of Hamid Karzai, in power since 2002, has ended. Two experienced and capable men are now at the helm. President Ashraf Ghani is a former World Bank official and minister of finance. Abdullah Abdullah, former mujahedin fighter and foreign minister, occupies the new post of chief executive, created to resolve the dispute over the legality of the presidential election.
Afghanistan: Twin seat on the rollercoaster
The unwieldy compromise that resolved a disputed election offers Kabul a glimmer of hope
