IntroductionThe national bestselling novel "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini, is a thought-provoking story that revolves around two young boys living in Afghanistan as the narrator describes his past. The first son, the protagonist Amir, is the narrator and talks about his mistakes in his childhood that led him to try to make up for his unatoned sins as an adult. His father Baba, a wealthy businessman, does not approve of Amir as his son, which in turn leads him to hurt people close to him, especially Hassan, to please his father. Hassan was Amir's best friend; although he and his father Ali were the servants of Baba's family, they were almost like brothers; they played together, lived together and enjoyed being together. Even though they were such good friends, they were separated due to their ethnic backgrounds. Amir was a Pashtun, a Sunni Muslim; the dominant ethnic group in Afghanistan. Hassan was a Hazara, a Shia Muslim who represents the minority in society. This begins problems between the two children that lead Amir to commit a sin that not even he himself forgives for nearly twenty-five years later. Many events in “The Kite Runner,” which take place from the 1970s to 2001, are similar to present-day Afghanistan; but many things have also changed. The purpose of this report is to improve understanding of life in Afghanistan today and to answer the following questions: How is the Afghan economy doing today compared to the economy in the novel? What changes to the political system has the government made to create greater equality, and what is the public response? How dependent is Afghanistan on foreign aid and where does the money go? At the beginning of the 21st century, Afghanistan was the center of attention and awareness. After the attacks on the twin towers of September 11, America declared war on the Taliban and set itself the goal of liberating Afghanistan and giving them the freedom they needed (“ Afghanistan, World Book A1 ”). The United States “bombed Afghanistan…and the Taliban ran like rats into caves” as another era of war began (Hosseini 382). The economy, while weak, has improved dramatically. However, the government is still imperfect, there is corruption and inequality just like during the reign of the monarchy. Afghanistan would not be where it is today if it were not for support from around the world. Billions of dollars have been donated to give Afghan citizens a future to look forward to. With all these problems currently surrounding the nation, they will soon overcome them and continue to grow as they have done for the last 10 years to date, the current Afghanistan.