As 2009 began a lot of the talk regarding the war in Afghanistan mirrored the buzz at that time about the future of the United States. The words 'hope' and 'change' seemed to be continually fluttering about and the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama seemed like it could signal a turning point for both countries. But hope is sometimes fickle when allowed to grow too large, and at times...
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As 2009 began a lot of the talk regarding the war in Afghanistan mirrored the buzz at that time about the future of the United States. The words 'hope' and 'change' seemed to be continually fluttering about and the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama seemed like it could signal a turning point for both countries. But hope is sometimes fickle when allowed to grow too large, and at times like these its preferred form of motion is that of a pendulum: the further you swing forward on it, the further back you'll go when things eventually start going the other direction. There can be only one repercussion of this kind of failed hope: bitter disappointment.

The reality is, the new beginning so many Afghans and members of the international community had so desperately hoped for now lies in ruins. Despite the talk of hope and change, the situation on the ground in Afghanistan has worsened throughout the year. 'Fighting season' as the troops call it culminated in a particularly bloody summer, with the Taliban improving their tactics and intensifying attacks.

While soldiers on the ground go about the arduous task of trying to build trust and win the hearts and minds of a population they are only beginning to understand, ordinary Afghans caught up in this war continue to lead truncated lives and fall victim to the majority of the violence. The Taliban carry out large-scale bombings at will, on occasion with the obvious collusion of Afghan security forces. They also continue to recruit successfully, preying on unemployed, uneducated young men with few prospects mostly recruited from the rural areas and displacement settlements.

In the end, perhaps too much was hoped for too fast. These images seek to capture that disappointment, as well as the shiftless nature of the war, its undefined boundaries, the half-lives people are forced to live in its midst, and the distrust and lack of understanding between the security forces and the people they inevitably cannot protect.
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