A Commentary On Afghanistan From The Strategy Page

Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit patrol through a poppy field May 1 near the town of Garmser, Afghanistan. Marines are not eradicating any poppies, which produce a resin that can be turned into heroin, but they have established a checkpoint near where Afghan farmers walk out to their fields. As about 10 men moved through, the troops belatedly identified two who they thought could be Taliban scouts. “It’s the world’s greatest guessing game,” said Staff Sgt. Tyree Adams. David Guttenfelder / The Associated Press

Nowhere To Run -- Strategy Page

September 4, 2009: The new U.S. strategy, of interrupting the drug gangs business (manufacturing and shipping heroin), and providing poppy farmers with a legal alternative crop, is a kinder and gentler alternative to older methods for stopping the drug trade ("anyone involved in the drug trade dies"). The Taliban play up the Robin Hood angle (with the higher profit poppy crops, and jobs as gunmen or workers in the manufacturing and transportation of heroin and drug related cargoes.) As the poorest nation in Eurasia, a little economic activity goes a long way. On the down side, the Taliban insistence on a stricter Islamic lifestyle (and no school for girls), annoys people a lot. The drug lords themselves are immune to the lifestyle stuff (even the hyper-religious Taliban know not to bite the hand that feeds them).

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My Comment: Short, simple, and sweet. A readable overview of what it is like on the ground in Afghanistan today.