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U.S. changes drug policy in Afghanistan

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falldown
User ID: 520470

United States
6/27/2009 7:03 PM
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U.S. changes drug policy in Afghanistan

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[link to www.allvoices.com]

This is a positive development as far as I am concered, although it may not work all that well. The eradication policy worked against US interests and hurt Afghan farmers.

Eradicating the poppy fields simply helped to turn farmers against the occupation forces. No doubt some of the drug money helps to fund the Taliban but it also helps to fund many in the Afghan government. Hence, many in the government also opposed the eradication policy. Given the huge profits involved in growing poppies for the drug trade it will take a lot of subsidies to get farmers to switch to other crops.

[link to news.yahoo.com]

US announces shift in Afghanistan drug policy
By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer Nicole Winfield, Associated Press Writer
TRIESTE, Italy - The United States has announced a new drug policy for opium-rich Afghanistan, saying it was phasing out funding for eradication programs while significantly increasing its funding for alternate crop and drug interdiction efforts.

The U.S. envoy for Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, told The Associated Press on Saturday that eradication programs weren't working and were only driving farmers into the hands of the Taliban.

"Eradication is a waste of money," Holbrooke said on the sidelines of a Group of Eight foreign ministers' meeting on Afghanistan, during which he briefed regional representatives on the new policy.

The G-8 ministers "strongly appreciated" the shift, which also includes an increase in annual U.S. funding for agricultural development from a few million dollars to a few hundred million dollars, said Foreign Minister Franco Frattini of Italy, the current G-8 president................................(end of quotes)

The US policy on drugs in Afghanistan has had a checkered history. When the Taliban were in power the US paid the Taliban to stop growing the crops, a policy that worked to some extent but was not popular for the obvious reasons that the US reviled the Taliban regime. Colin Powell presented the aid.

[link to www.mapinc.org]

That's the message sent with the recent gift of $43 million to the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan, the most virulent anti-American violators of human rights in the world today. The gift, announced last Thursday by Secretary of State Colin Powell, in addition to other recent aid, makes the U.S. the main sponsor of the Taliban and rewards that "rogue regime" for declaring that opium growing is against the will of God. So, too, by the Taliban's estimation, are most human activities, but it's the ban on drugs that catches this administration's attention. (end of quote)

Americans tend to have a bad memory and forget that the conflict with the Taliban is a form of blowback and that the US helped form the group:

[link to emperors-clothes.com]

~
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"He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words." ~Elbert Hubbard

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