I have begun my dive into the book Decoding the New Taliban: Insights from the Afghan Field (Columbia/Hurst)
Poppy seeds are used to make heroine, opium, and other drugs, but it can also be used to make morphine and other medicine. The book went into great detail as to how drug dealers and the Taliban are intertwined in their mission in Afghanistan. The Taliban has been known for starting diversionary wars while drug traffickers smuggle their drugs in and out of Afghanistan. The money makes hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
After reading this, the best thing for the United States to do would be to help put in a place a system for farmers that pays them a fair market share comparable to the underground heroine trade for their poppy seeds, but then use the seeds for medicinal and helpful purposes. Farms need to be protected by Afghan and American soldiers, and investigations and prosecution of those who kill farmers selling to the United States need to be brought to justice. There is no price on how important a new system like this would be for the future stability of Afghanistan.
After creating such a system, there needs to be a sustained and vigilant effort that investigates the underground drug trade in Afghanistan. A bilateral force of US-trained operatives (who know and understand Afghani culture) and Afghan police need to take part in this investigation and follow it through till the end. The eradication of drug trafficking in the region is crucial to ending any kind of war on the terrorists of the region.
Finally, with a new system in a place and the extinguishing of drug trafficking, the new government needs to subsidize heavily the production of fruits and vegetables needed to feed the Afghan people. Because the drug trade is so profitable, there is little incentive for farmers to grow food that the people of Afghanistan so desperately need.
None of these things will be easy to implement, but these three things would see the beginning of a sustainable movement within Afghanistan.
Danny is a part time substitute teacher and a part time In-N-Out employee looking for some kind of teaching job in California. Hopefully someday the state of California will be back in action and ready to rock and roll and hire teachers back. He enjoys long walks on the beach and Star Wars.