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.
#20..
Sooo true…
in TRUE capitalism…YES
#10, “telling them that selling a crop of drugs is less important then growing food products that get about 25% of the profit?
Or are we going to pay TOP USA dollar for the food they grow.”
The United States would rather dump our own subsidy created agriculture surpluses on other countries’ economies, lowering the incentives for local growers. Get with the program.
Afghan heroin pays Swedish and American weapons. Countries like Turkey, Pakistan, India and others who are involved in heroin trade, are paying/buying weapons with money that comes from heroin trade. It´s simple as that!
The Swedish gov. has a major part in all wars and conflicts.