Largest Opium Production Nation...

bonkey

I was browsing a few news sites to see what they had to say about the two guys arrested carrying what is believed to be uranium, and I came across an interesting link on CNN.

Afghanistan regains opium crown

Unfortunately, the link was dead, but a quick paste of the headline into Google got the article from its cache.

Anyway. Basically the reports are out that Afghanistan is back as the worlds largest producer of opium, which is typically used to make heroin.

Now, this has me confused. The UN admit to having seen the figures, and a lot of these figures are calculated from satellite imagery.

So whats the story? We have a nation which is still supposedly under the protection of the UN, with UN-sanctioned troops from the most vociferous "war on drugs" nation in recent years. This nation is the worlds largest producer of the raw material needed for heroin, and nothing is being done?

What is the story here? Is it that the war on terrorism has superceded the war on drugs as the sole focus of the administration? Do drugs not matter all of a sudden?

OK, I could understand to a degree that care needs to be taken in rebuilding the nation, but surely there are limits? Afghanistan's opium production was almost non-existant under the Taliban, which meant that before now would have been the easiest time imaginable to tackle the problem for once and for all.

Neither the UN nor the US seem to care much about this. Irregardless of which of these opinions you feel is the important one, I think it refelects badly on both of them.

jc

bugler

Maybe the CIA is back to trafficking drugs?

Sacrifices had to be made in order to give Afghanistan the look of a balanced fair regime. The fragile coalition of warlords and drugs barons wouldn't have been happy (and more importantly, wouldn't have co-operated with the new regime) if their drugs businesses had suffered.

Despite what is often quoted, heroin production didn't cease under the Taliban, they just didn't actively participate in it in any collective sense afaik. They did however 'tax' it. Iran has lost a few thousand men attempting to stop its eastern border being breached by traffickersover the last decade, not that the West likes to acknowledge this or help in any way. A bit insensitive and stupid considering much of it is destined for the wealthier Western European markets.

The U.S has always had a selective eye for which drug dealers to declare 'war' on, ie in Columbia. I don't see why we should expect any different from them (and the U.N) in Afghanistan.

Ajnag

Yup same **** different bush, ho-hum.

Democracy lovin bush payed the taliban 148 million $'s 2 years ago to curb production, then after the invasion, he let them go to maintain stability in the region(why do i think this heroin wave is gonna hit russia and europe?).Usuall hipocracy as ever in the war on drugs :rolleyes:

that and cia is probably up to its ol tricks again.

links

www.mapinc.org


www.narconews.com

oh and get this, the u.s is planning to use untested geneticly modified vireses in an attempt to wipe out coca, only prob is that cocas a close relative of vegtables used for sustanince by the natives.sorry i have no links for this on.maybe in narco news.

bonkey

Originally posted by Ajnag
Democracy lovin bush payed the taliban 148 million $'s 2 years ago to curb production

I think they were given the money as a (unofficial) "thank you" for having cut production, not as an incentive to do so.

Even still....fair point.

jc

Raskolnikov

Originally posted by bonkey


I think they were given the money as a (unofficial) "thank you" for having cut production, not as an incentive to do so.

Even still....fair point.

jc

The interesting thing was that they actually upheld there part of the bargain, hence the sudden explosion in opium production. For a despotic nation they had there honour, well if you don't count butchering women and children.

Bonkey, you also have to remember that Afghanistan is a massive country and it would be impossible for the UN to police every single farm or plot of land. However ajnag made a good point about the heroin ending up in Europe and Russia. Prehaps the US does want to allow drugs into Europe and Russia? God knows the US could stop heroin production if it suited their ends

bonkey

Originally posted by Raskolnikov
Bonkey, you also have to remember that Afghanistan is a massive country and it would be impossible for the UN to police every single farm or plot of land.

Absolutely, except that they are calculating the figures for the production based on satellite imagery of the plantations......so its not like they dont know where these big-ass fields of unwanted flowers are.

I mean, if the US wanted to go after it, surely they'd just fly over, drop some leaflets warning people that the fields would be razed and that the innocents should get clear, and then a few days later, drop some daisy cutters

As for where the stuff ends up.....yeah.....could be that the US dont care when its not them....bit like their war on terrorism really. On the other hand, the UN also knows about this stuff (its the one releasing the figures), and is doing jack.

jc

Mike66

Didn't Bush snort enough Coke and fry enough people's brains as Governor of Texas?