The Taliban did something right.
The mission in Afghanistan is not one where there is an end date. The Americans would believe that overall, Afghanistan is succeeding, not just the United States but the rest of the International Community as well. America’s capacity for optimism apparently knows no bounds. Yet, the inevitable consequence of their present policies is more disaster. If you doubt that conclusion, then look into the eyes of the next addict you see on the streets where you live. His or her next hit could probably be slipping through the rather large cracks in Afghanistan right now.
America’s primary function in Afghanistan was to eradicate the Taliban, and locate Al-Quada – and no one is disputing the job they are doing is great – however, There is one area that the US government is severely lacking. Opium production.
About 50% of Afghanistan’s current economy comes from illegal opium cultivation. Wheat sells for approx. 20c per kilo, and opium poppy sells for US $250-$350 per kilogram – what would you grow if you were in their position?
The Taliban may have been a fundamentalist radical regime, however, when it came to opium production, they meant business. Since the Taliban were removed from power just over 2 years ago, Poppy farms have sprouted all over the country side. The lowly farmers will sell about 8kg for $2,000 – this will keep their families going for one year. It’s any guess what the drug pushers will sell it for further down the line. The Taliban had completely outlawed this practice, and it was one less headache for the international drug fighting community.
This head-ache is on its way back – with a vengeance.
At the moment, there isn’t much in the way of enforcement at all. There is a counter narcotics unit run by the Afghani ‘government.’ They operate by driving their tractors to the poppy fields. If the farmer has 10 hectares of Poppy, the counter narcotics unit will get rid of 5 hectares, and allow the farmer to keep the other 5 to feed his family. Whilst this is noble of the government unit, and their realisation that the poppy is all these farmers have, it really is not effective at all.
If the opium trade were to suddenly stop, Afghanistan’s economy would crumble – literally over night. At the moment, when US troops find quantities of poppy, all they can do is confiscate it, I don’t know the answers, but terrorism and drugs are almost one in the same. Surely the war on terror can be intertwined with the war on drugs…
I wonder if the American government thought about this when they decided to attack Afghanistan. 3000 people are a lot of people to die from 9/11 attacks, however, I would wager, if something isn’t done soon about the quantities of opium that are getting out of Afghanistan, more than 3000 people will surely be adversely effected by this situation, but they are all necessarily American, so who cares right?
BAM!!!