Opium, Afghanistan and the war

Just a quick question, but with a build up.

We are taking opium off the Afghans. The drugs barons have the loyalty of the people, and the Taleban say 'hey, the ol' heroin, it's ok!' So the loyalty of the most powerful people, especially in Helmand goes to the Taleban, hence Al Qaida. A major part of any army's work is to get the loyalty of the locals, not do them for their wares. We would be better buying the narcotics and then disposing of them because instead of 'stealing' from the locals, they would be doing 'business' with them and would have a chance of getting their support which the current attitude cannot.

This leads me to the conclusion that the powers that be want this war in Afghanistan to continue.

My question: Why?

Afghanistan markets its pomegranates It's sweet, red and juicy — and a better alternative to opium poppies

That is your answer.

KABUL, Afghanistan - This ancient land is telling the world that it has a trendy, new replacement for its dreaded poppy crop: sweet, juicy pomegranates. The country will stamp a logo on all boxes of the pomegranate for export: a drawing of the sliced, red fruit with seeds spilling out and a label that announces, "Anar, Afghan Pomegranate." Anar is the word for pomegranate in various regional languages. Afghanistan officials hope the Western-style sales savvy will raise the pomegranate's cachet and provide its farmers with a lucrative alternative to growing opium poppies.

The pomegranate wars.

It's the latest step in a $12 million, U.S.-funded initiative to modernize and expand Afghanistan's pomegranate industry, which has long depended on domestic sales and small-scale exports to nearby countries. Even these exports have been severely hit by years of border fighting.

www.msnbc.msn.com...

New crops or not, old crops are still being harvested and the locals feel 'done over.' Better than just dictate a 'better' way, buy their old wares and help them replace them with new. They're still producing over 90% of the world's heroin, and we don't help pursuasion by taking stuff when your enemy wouldn't. So there is not much real pursuasion going on, rather Dictation, which does not make for peace here. Acceptance does, but that has not happened, is not happening and looks set to continue that way.

So I conclude the reason we don't want to get the locals on side is the war on drugs which funds Al Qaida.

Maybe there's my answer, they want us living in fear of well funded terrorists. Then they can take away our liberties?

Well in the everlasting quest of Imperialism, the Opiate industry is huge revenue genrator but there is considerably more wealth to be had in Afghanistan to be had in it's Natural Gas deposits as well as oil and gas pipelines through Afghanistan to the central asian reserves.

According to the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration, while Afghanistan's estimated oil reserves are relatively modest, "with perhaps up to 100 million barrels," the country's natural gas reserves are far more substantial. As northern Afghanistan is a "southward extension of Central Asia's highly prolific, natural gas-prone Amu Darya Basin," Afghanistan "has proven, probable and possible natural gas reserves of about 5 trillion cubic feet."

Thats why we paid Osama Bin Laden to fight the Russians prolonging the war and meanwhile we were crashing their economy which forced them out.

That's exactly why you see the UK has focused their troops on Afghanistan and the Govt. (including Obama) are talking about sending more troops there.

So that's why they don't want peace in Afghanistan. Oil. This will make much money, but realistically for the few.

The remainder are still stuck with a terrible mixture of opium chez la ville d'heroin. What do you do about the farmers that cannot drill (maybe, as UK, 'Baby Drill')?

Should Pomegranites, oil, gas be the future, Opium is the present.

How do you stop opium differences affecting loyalties and the future?

we need to cut these peoples from the drugs over there. the minds are corrupted on all the drugs they do not know what up and down are anymore. afghanistan is one of the large contributors to the drugs that go in and out in countries. maybe, they might wake up, if we ween them off or cut them off of all the drugs that the peoples there use. they are all drugged up. these drugs influence their brain so they do not make good decicions over there. lets say, who would you trust, a drunk driver, heroin addict or a opiat addict to drive your kids to school or the sober one. that is how these people over there are, alot of them are drug addicts. i wouldent be surprised that bin laden on his tv sayings is smoking some kind of drug and is very high on. i for one do not trust these peoples at all, my oppinion. the peoples in power over there is scarry and who knows what they will do all drugged up. a time bomb waiting to happen over there.

Originally posted by estrip
we need to cut these peoples from the drugs over there. the minds are corrupted on all the drugs they do not know what up and down are anymore. afghanistan is one of the large contributors to the drugs that go in and out in countries. maybe, they might wake up, if we ween them off or cut them off of all the drugs that the peoples there use. they are all drugged up. these drugs influence their brain so they do not make good decicions over there. lets say, who would you trust, a drunk driver, heroin addict or a opiat addict to drive your kids to school or the sober one. that is how these people over there are, alot of them are drug addicts. i wouldent be surprised that bin laden on his tv sayings is smoking some kind of drug and is very high on. i for one do not trust these peoples at all, my oppinion. the peoples in power over there is scarry and who knows what they will do all drugged up. a time bomb waiting to happen over there.

We need to respect other cultures. We need to respect one set of views of drugs is different to another, until you export them....... The allies do not need to go on a moral Mish when the other side are protecting that side of their behaviour......

Look, put it another way.....

We went into .....

1. Afghanistan, because they were terrorists.
2. Iraq, because they went for WMD.

We are fighting local tribes in Afghanistan because we....

went in on pretence of a war on terrorism.

then when installed we changed the rules.....

We are there to stop drugs now. No one has ever stopped them.....

When we originally invaded Afghanistan and "set up a democracy" we basically took the drug lords already in power and put them in positions of power in the democratic government as well. This is a fact.

Originally posted by blowfishdl
When we originally invaded Afghanistan and "set up a democracy" we basically took the drug lords already in power and put them in positions of power in the democratic government as well. This is a fact.

Well it's all good diplomatically when the overlords are happy. But our democracy is on our own terms? We want the powerful expressed. We want drugs, but out of sight. Afghan democracy needs to uphold the values of the US, right?

reply to post by redled


Not necessarily. Just because we "set up democracy" doesn't mean they in turn receive all of the legislation in America. Drugs are still very much #1 source of money for Afghanistan.

Originally posted by blowfishdl
reply to post by redled

 

Not necessarily. Just because we "set up democracy" doesn't mean they in turn receive all of the legislation in America. Drugs are still very much #1 source of money for Afghanistan.

Well, that's the point. The US cannot solve drugs internally, so it blows a cruise at people who have been growing it since their grandfathers. You sort out your divisions at home, you don't walk into a country where many things are allowed, do well on violence, and are violent about their crops. You lose allies, you make enemies if you change the terms of your guest status.