WASHINGTON (AP) – More than three years after a pro-U.S. government was installed, Afghanistan has been unable to contain opium poppy production and is "on the verge of becoming a narcotics state,‘’ a presidential report said Friday.
The report said the area in Afghanistan devoted to poppy cultivation last year set a new record of 206,700 hectares, more than triple the figure for 2003.
The Afghan narcotics situation, “represents an enormous threat to world stability”, the report said.
It listed opium production at 4,950 metric tons, 17 times more than second place Myanmar.
So you believe that it was an either or situation: either we let the Taliban stay in power, or we go in, get rid of the Taliban, and leave the country in such a mess that their opium production increases the drug threat in our country? How about option 3: finish the job we started? Oh, there was that thing in Iraq that needed to be done, instead.
Do you think we’re not still involved in Afghanistan?
Also, let’s count the number of countries that have no real industry, and henace, have an economy reliant on drug trade. There’s a lot of them, all over the world.
What job was that? I seem to remember it was something about ousting the Taliban, so Bin Laden and his pals would have one less secure base to operate out of.
Except for actually nabbing Bin Laden, I’d say the job is finished. (Which isn’t to say that Afghanistan is on its way to freedom and goodness, as the neo-cons constantly claim, but that’s their problem, not ours.)
What job was that? I seem to remember it was something about ousting the Taliban, so Bin Laden and his pals would have one less secure base to operate out of.
I would have thought that the basic job was “Make America Safe”. Perhaps it was really “Take Revenge on Al Qaeda”, or something like that. By ridding the world of the Taliban (and good riddance it is!), and leaving Afghanistan in a condition where they rely on the drug trade, does this make us safe?
Legalize drugs. Then opium woudl no longer be a “Threat”. Afhganastan woudl ahve a thriving export business, we an import business. Taxes collected. Business trade begins.
Yes, I confess. Afghanistan isn’t perfect yet. I guess we should have just left Mullah Omar in there. What a miserable country the US must be in that there are still problems in a country in which we have a presence.
I would have thought that the basic job was “Make America Safe”.
Now *you’re *starting to sound like a neo-con. What is the world coming to?
By ridding the world of the Taliban (and good riddance it is!), and leaving Afghanistan in a condition where they rely on the drug trade, does this make us safe?
It keep us *safer *from Al Quaeda, and that was the primary goal. Turning Afghanistan into Paradise wasn’t. If you believed it was, you’re naive, at best, and if you insist on that as a measure of success, you’re unfair.
“Is the US economy not heavily reliant on drug trade? I would think the top US based pharmaceutical companies are amongst the largest in the world, accounting for revenues in the billions.”
Last time I checked, there was a significant diffeence between medical pharmecuticals, and illegal drug smuggling.
“Maybe you could define “real industry” and whether or not that is really a beneficial thing for the longevity of humanity.”
I’m not sure what you’re getting at here. Industry of some sort or another, so long as it’s not legal, helps a country’s economy. It doesn’t have to be car manufacturing or computers, but something other than drug smuggling would be good. As for the longevity of humanity, I’m not sure what that has to do with the subject at hand.
“the “significant difference” between medical pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs is that the latter tend to occur naturally, while the former tend to be synthetics made by men who readily acknowledge they don’t really know what the long term effects are of the synthetic drugs.”
The significant difference is that the syntheitc medical pharmacuticals are being produced to provide some medical benefit to the community, whereas the illegal drug traffic is being conducted to produce recreational substances which offer no medical purpose. It’s not like narco-terrorists are dealing in medicinal marijuana or something.
"What I’m “getting at” as far as “real industry” is concerned would be that an industrial society is not necessarily something that is advantageous for our health and happiness, and therefore shouldn’t be put up on a pedestal to admire. "
Welcome to the 21st century. Industry provides capital for a nation and it’s people, which allows them to compete for resources in a world in which those resources are in short supply. Take a look around at the non-industrialized countries of the world and tell me how they’re doing, in general. Not so good. Their people are starving, dying of easily curable diseases, homeless, working just to survive, not to prosper. The industry doesn’t have to be microsoft, but it also shouldn’t be opium.
Do you think we’re not still involved in Afghanistan?
Also, let’s count the number of countries that have no real industry, and henace, have an economy reliant on drug trade. There’s a lot of them, all over the world.
Alright, I’ll tell the guys in Michigan they can stop building cars, and the guys at Ingalls thaey can stop building ships, and the guys in Cali they can stop building computers, etc, etc
Our economyisn’t based on illegal drug trade, even if drugs are a significant problem in our society.
Okay, and I will tell the cops, judges, jailers, doctors, medical facilities and coroners that they are not needed.
My answer is the only one that will work 100% for sure - poison 20% of all drugs…go ahead, smoke that crack…chance is 2 in 10 it is your last puff - problem solved.
What job was that? I seem to remember it was something about ousting the Taliban, so Bin Laden and his pals would have one less secure base to operate out of.
Except for actually nabbing Bin Laden, I’d say the job is finished. (Which isn’t to say that Afghanistan is on its way to freedom and goodness, as the neo-cons constantly claim, but that’s their problem, not ours.)
Or not: “The American military will significantly increase its role in halting the production and sale of poppies, opium and heroin in Afghanistan, responding to bumper harvests that far exceed even the most alarming predictions, according to senior Pentagon officials.”
Better late than never, I guess. Was this part of the original plan, or was this an example of lousy planning?