The state of Afghanistan

While the U.S. military delivers its assessment on the strategy on the war in Afghanistan on Thursday, CNN's Nic Robertson carried out an informal review of his own. Having covered Afghanistan since the 1990s, Robertson revisited some of the places he'd reported from over the years to see what had changed.

Here's a round-up of some of the reporting:

Afghans struggle on road to better future: For ordinary Afghans, insecurity, instability and lack of development have been the only real constants.

In Herat, Robertson found a governor frustrated with his government in trying to move projects forward and a new road project completed near a school that leaves the U.S. with an image Catch-22.

In the revisit to Herat, Robertson meets with three men, who until a few months ago were Taliban commanders. He found out why some Taliban members are putting down their weapons and now want peace.

In Kandahar, he went on patrols with U.S. troops and also explored the streets of the city to talk to the local population.

Also in Kandahar, Robertson reports on the surge of troops that have improved Kandahar security, but U.S. commanders face problems with Afghan politics.