There is a need to put much more emphasis on the non-military issues. It needs to be 10:1 non-military to military. In my book, as well as building infrastructure, which will make any commercial enterprise easier, including poppy growing, we need to consider creating a genuine alternative agricultural market to give the peasant/farmer population a realistic alternative to growing poppies. We need to invest heavily in GIVING them the wherewithal to maintain their standard of living without the poppy. Simply put, this means we must consider giving them the seed, trees or other plants to produce suitable alternatives to the poppy; give them the tools and fertilisers to ensure these crops grow; guarantee a price for their produce at least for a certain time (and I mean several years). If we do not, they will continue to grow the easy plant because like it or not, there is an easy market for their poppies.
We need to invest heavily in GIVING them the wherewithal to maintain their standard of living without the poppy. Simply put, this means we must consider giving them the seed, trees or other plants to produce suitable alternatives to the poppy; give them the tools and fertilisers to ensure these crops grow; guarantee a price for their produce at least for a certain time (and I mean several years). If we do not, they will continue to grow the easy plant because like it or not, there is an easy market for their poppies.
...really follows from the starting point of the diary.
If ISAF can't stop the Taleban kill squad when they come for the farmer, then the farmer will be growing poppy and selling the resulting opium to the Taleban and that's the end of the story. All the civil aid programmes would do is provide infrastructure for the insurgents to blow up, tasty bits of kit for them to steal and useful foreigners for them to kidnap.
This is basic stuff; counter-insurgency 101 - "The people are the key base to be secured and defended".
Regards Luke -- #include witty_sig.h
The problem in my view is the Afghan government in place. The Afghan president MUST lead his own people; there is corruption in government. It is within the call of the president and his cabinet members to help out in putting order in their own country. This is actually what's actually irritating me!
The fighting forces are concentrated East. I can understand where Gates is coming from
I seem to remember that the Talebans main areas were the South West of the country. The noreth was Northern Alliance warlords, and the south east was indirectly under the control of ISI through local tribes. Life should consist in at least fifty percent pure waste of time, and the rest doing what you please.
From what I hear, the ordinary Afghan farmer has no choice. Warlords control the Afghan farmers -- they are forced to plant poppy and are expected to mee a quota.
The current Afghan govt should step up the policing of its own ranks because it seems that there's widespread collusion between some authorities and warlords over poppy culture. Like many, I would like to know what is being done from the end of NATO-ISAF, foreign NGO to get rid of this. I believe NATO's top bosses owe it to the citizens of NATO member nations an explanation.
the ordinary Afghan farmer has no choice. Warlords control the Afghan farmers -- they are forced to plant poppy and are expected to mee a quota.
Thus it seems to me that you have to cut deals with the warlords whilst you work at transforming the conditions which give rise to warlordism.
Sadly this pragmatic strategy gets hit from the right (too much nation building, not enough anti-terror sweeps) and from the left (too many mini-tyrants, not enough women's groups), which means it's probably not politically sustainable for the length of time needed to effect the desired societal transformation.
