As of early 2012, the Taliban effectively control most of Afghanistan right under the noses of US generals in denial about truth even though their bases are in the thick of it. The Taliban are powerful, yes very much like in the Vietnam War, they know their country’s terrain and they can easily win the hearts of their people. Plus they have weapons.
I’ve been reading an article in National Geographic about how the poppy cultivation and opium production and its sale have greatly funded the Taliban throughout the war. The weak official Kabul government (basically all it controls) with the US has tried to lure the farmers to grow food crops, but many factors stand in its way.
Exceedingly higher poppy prices, it’s ease to cultivate, difficulty of food crops to grow in arid areas, undulating terrain that hides poppy fields, the Taliban’s and warlords’ encouragement to grow them and rampant corruption have all practically force the Afghan farmers to grow poppy and produce opium.
The key to the war seems so simple. If I were in charge, I’d target the poppy fields but not with weed whackers and almost impossible on-the-ground monitoring. We have to go high tech. If ever genetic engineering were a force for good, we must design fungi or whatever disease that affects poppies and intensify their destructive power 10 times more than whatever nature can dish out.
Drone aircraft can really be effectively used to spread these anti-poppy agents across all the fields even in the southern Afghanistan, the Taliban strong hold. If this strategy pans out, farmers will find it next to impossible to continue growing poppy, hence cripple the opium trade and cut the Taliban’s most lucrative source of income. And Start Winning the War!
I’ve been reading an article in National Geographic about how the poppy cultivation and opium production and its sale have greatly funded the Taliban throughout the war. The weak official Kabul government (basically all it controls) with the US has tried to lure the farmers to grow food crops, but many factors stand in its way.
Exceedingly higher poppy prices, it’s ease to cultivate, difficulty of food crops to grow in arid areas, undulating terrain that hides poppy fields, the Taliban’s and warlords’ encouragement to grow them and rampant corruption have all practically force the Afghan farmers to grow poppy and produce opium.
The key to the war seems so simple. If I were in charge, I’d target the poppy fields but not with weed whackers and almost impossible on-the-ground monitoring. We have to go high tech. If ever genetic engineering were a force for good, we must design fungi or whatever disease that affects poppies and intensify their destructive power 10 times more than whatever nature can dish out.
Drone aircraft can really be effectively used to spread these anti-poppy agents across all the fields even in the southern Afghanistan, the Taliban strong hold. If this strategy pans out, farmers will find it next to impossible to continue growing poppy, hence cripple the opium trade and cut the Taliban’s most lucrative source of income. And Start Winning the War!
No comments:
Post a Comment