Organized Crime and Insurgency

[Bill Moore]

http://ctc.usma.edu/crime_and_insurgency.pdf

Bob,

Sorry the link didn't work, it worked for me? I reposted it in hopes that continuing to slam my head against the brick wall will eventually move it.

It actually addresses much more than the drug trade, and it discusses all the topics you addressed, but what I think is the key take away is how crime and corruption have changed the nature of the conflict over time. Not unique to Afghanistan, but this is a well written paper with numerous source quotes.

Bill

[Bill Moore]

Our aid money funds much of the corruption as noted in the paper, and many of the SWJ contributers have pointed that out in other threads.

[JMA]

http://ctc.usma.edu/crime_and_insurgency.pdf

Bob,

Sorry the link didn't work, it worked for me? I reposted it in hopes that continuing to slam my head against the brick wall will eventually move it.

It actually addresses much more than the drug trade, and it discusses all the topics you addressed, but what I think is the key take away is how crime and corruption have changed the nature of the conflict over time. Not unique to Afghanistan, but this is a well written paper with numerous source quotes.

Bill

A while ago in a thread here the issue of ISAF allowing poppy growing to continue was discussed. There were few of us indeed who opposed the "poor" Afghan farmer being allowed to earn his living from growing poppies.

It is increasingly important to investigate the poppy/opium/heroin/drug policies of ISAF over the years to establish who was involved in this incompetent decision making and look into possible corruption among foreign civilian/diplomatic/military staff. Not a pleasant thought, but a necessary action IMHO.

[davidbfpo]

Readers should be aware - Brihard's post prompted this - that there are other threads that comment / debate the issues, notably in the Afghan context. Starting way back in 2006 'Afghanistan's Drug Problem':http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=1234; 'Cops Show Marines How To Take On Taliban':http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ad.php?t=10895

The author of this CTC report is Gretchen Peters, whose expertise has been challenged before in her book 'Seeds of Terror: How Heroin is Bankrolling the Taliban and Al Qaeda'.

New SWC members may gain from sampling the author's own website: http://gretchenpeters.org/; and a critical review of her book: http://www.registan.net/index.php/20...etchen-peters/ She responds at length to this on her blogsite.