Bleak outlook for Afghan drug war

[unhappycamper]

http://atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/SOU-02-140314.html



Bleak outlook for Afghan drug war
By Alex Pollard-Lipkis
Mar 14, '14

As the United States slowly draws down from Afghanistan, the country's long-term security will hinge on more than just troop numbers and reconciliation talks. Counternarcotics strategy will also play a significant role.

The narcotics trade has been a financial boon for the insurgency in Afghanistan, a country that is responsible for more than 80% of the world's opium supply. The nexus between drug profits and terrorism funding means that opium trafficking is more than just an Afghan problem - it's an international security threat.

Since the US invasion, counternarcotics efforts in Afghanistan have relied on a robust US military presence, which begs the question: What will the counternarcotics footprint look like in Afghanistan after the 2014 drawdown of US forces?

~snip~

The United States has played a central role in developing and supporting Afghan counternarcotics strategy for well over a decade. Since 2002, the US government has appropriated $7.5 billion for counternarcotics funding in Afghanistan, which accounts for 7% of the $102 billion that Washington has appropriated for relief and reconstruction in the country. Despite this enormous investment, Afghan opium poppy cultivation increased by 36% from 2012 to 2013 - a record high, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.