Hamid Karzai

Hamid Karzai made history on December 7, 2004, when he was officially sworn in as Afghanistan's first democratically elected president. The world applauded as he vowed to heal his wounded country. A nation with a long and tumultuous history, Afghanistan had endured much over the previous two decades. Invading Soviet troops, resistance by the Mujahideen, anarchy, the oppressive rule of the Taliban, and finally U.S. military action after 9/11 had left the country in ruins. Intelligent, calm, and d