Misha Glenny author of McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld
In the past two years, the drug war has become the Taliban’s most effective recruiter in Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s Muslim extremists have reinvigorated themselves by supporting and taxing the countless peasants who are dependent one way or another on the opium trade, their only reliable source of income. The Taliban is becoming richer and stronger by the day, especially in the east and south of the country. The “War on Drugs” is defeating the “war on terror.”
Because of the problems in Mexico and Afghanistan we are rapidly coming to a fork in the road. Do we opt for legalization of drugs or support of criminals and terrorists?
H/T commenter flicka47 at They Kidnap Americans Don’t They?
Cross Posted at Power and Control
Comments
3 responses to “Defeating The War On Terror”
Well, we used to be told the Taleban had stamped out opium growing in Afghanistan. We were also told that evil reappeared only because the US invaded and set up a puppet government.
Now we are told the Taleban are succeeding because they allow the opium crops and tax them while we do not.
It sounds as if the US must be blamed for every woe by either because we did something or did not.
I favor legalization. Not because drug use is good but because we won’t control it with the present methods.
We spend billions annually and the result is the corruption of politics and police, both at home and in supposedly cooperative nations.
We will only reduce use when more people reject, on personal grounds, using the so-called recreational drugs. Some never will and we must realize that.
Deal with drugs the same way we deal with alcohol and other dangerous material.
Punish dangerous acts such as driving while under the influence. Criminalize providing or inducing use by minors.
And mandate secure handling similar to the ways we sometimes limit access to firearms, ammunition, and poisons.
K,
The Taliban banned opium growing for one year due to the fact that oversupply was depressing the market. All the rest is spin.
Thanks. I didn’t know what the Taliban really did while in power and figured anything about them would have a lot of spin anyway.
In fact I didn’t even spell Taliban right, with “i”.
The drug war itself is more interesting.
IMO it isn’t crime that corrupts people, it is corrupt people who tend toward whatever crime pays them best.
With billions to be made in the drug trade it is hard to believe some of our policy makers aren’t getting a nice payoff for maintaining the status quo.
The status quo also lets the strongest cartels use law enforcment against competitors. They have an incentive to let the War On Drugs continue as is.