Ask a random American what they know about Afghanistan and you may notice a look of perplexity befall upon their face. Most Americans aren’t very familiar with Afghanistan. Other than the ongoing “war on terror” in Afghanistan the knowledge of the country is shallow at best. Even retired general Stanley McChrystal admitted this much according to a 2011 article where he is quoted as saying, "We didn't know enough and we still don't know enough. Most of us, me included, had a very superficial understanding of the situation and history, and we had a frighteningly simplistic view of recent history, the last 50 years." (Walsh, Declan) Aside the fact that the US is involved in an ongoing military operation in Afghanistan another thing which some Americans are aware of is the opium problem in Afghanistan. In fact according to a 2011 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report 83% of the world’s heroine supply is produced in Afghanistan. (20, Demirbüken, Hakan) How is it that Afghanistan became the world leader in opium production? To learn that it is necessary to take a closer look at Afghanistan’s history, economic and social conditions, as well as the attitudes towards opium from various groups within the country.
The recent history of Afghanistan has been riddled with uncertainty and turmoil. In the years before the current US occupation of Afghanistan the country had been involved in bitter conflict with another world power. In April of 1978, after the Saur Revolution, the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) backed by the Soviet Union formed the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA). However the process was not a smooth one. Some in Afghanistan, which has a majority Islamic population, saw the newly instituted So...
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...lem." PBS: Frontline. PBS, 3 Jan. 2012. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. .
"Mujahideen Warriors Of Afghanistan." Africa 24 Media Photography. Africa 24 Media, 2011. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. .
Rawlings, Nate. "Opium Production in Afghanistan Hits Record High." TIME. Time Inc, 13 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. .
Walsh, Declan. "US Had 'frighteningly Simplistic' View of Afghanistan, Says McChrystal." Guardian Weekly. Guardian News and Media, 07 Oct. 2011. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. .
"Mir Tamim Ansary - Afghan American Author and Lecturer." Mir Tamim Ansary Afghan American Author and Lecturer. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
Kelly, D. M. (2011). The Kunar Adt and the Afghan Coin Fight. Bloomington: AuthorHouse. Retrieved November 05, 2010, from books.google.co.ke/books?isbn=1456753045
From the early 1950’s to early 1970’s during U.S. military involvement in Laos, Indochina, opium and heroin were flown by “Air America” into many countries, including Vietnam. As a result of CIA’s drug smuggling, Southeast Asia became the source of 70% of the world’s opium and heroin. South Vietnam was completely corrupted by a heroin trade that came from Laos, thanks to the CIA. The Hmong culture in Laos provided 30,000 men for the CIA's secret Laotian army. But in the process, opium production took over Hmong culture. To support the Hmong economy, the CIA's “Air America” transported raw opium out of the Laotian hills to the labs. By mid-1971, Army medical officers estimated that fifteen percent of American GIs were addicted (Stich 142).
"Who Are the Taliban?" BBC. BBC News South Asia, 1 Oct. 2010. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. .
Here in America there is little tangible evidence of the war in Afghanistan, no visible scars besides the ones involving processions of caskets coming from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The mentality though remains. People are tired of this war; they have lost the patriotic spirit that had been created after 9/11. With the war reaching a decade people are losing hope and faith in the government. They are losing the desire to continue in their support for the war. People have taken negative viewings to Muslims as well because of this war and have become very aggressive over those coming from the Middle East and of Islamic origins even if they have been citizens of the United States before 9/11. “We kid ourselves if we think we can be a people at war for a decade without suffering consequences” states James Carron (Hampson).
middle of paper ... ... Works Cited Bates, Theunis. “The Sinaloa Cartel is now the world's biggest supplier of illegal narcotics. How did it become so powerful?.”
The United States has a long history of intervention in the affairs of one it’s southern neighbor, Latin America. The war on drugs has been no exception. An investigation of US relations with Latin America in the period from 1820 to 1960, reveals the war on drugs to be a convenient extension of an almost 200 year-old policy. This investigation focuses on the commercial and political objectives of the US in fighting a war on drugs in Latin America. These objectives explain why the failing drug policy persisted despite its overwhelming failure to decrease drug production or trafficking. These objectives also explain why the US has recently exchanged a war on drugs for the war on terrorism.
Endersby, A. (2011, February 20). Afghanistan, invasion of. Retrieved May 23, 2011, from International Debate Education Association: http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=145
The Web. 11 Feb 2014. Mondloch, Chris. A. “Bacha Bazi: An Afghan Tragedy.” Foreign Policy.
One aspect of the novel that highlights this struggle is its setting, as it takes place during four time periods, each at a different stage in Afghan history. Throughout these unstable decades, the country’s government went through continuous upheavals with each new government advocating different
Afghanistan since its beginning has been a place of conflict, despair, and at times lost hope. It has been taken advantage of and lost its sense of identity, which has had a direct effect on its people, and there own sense of what justice truly is.
McMahon, Robert. "The Purpose of the Afghan War." 21 September 2009. The Council on Foreign Relations. 26 October 2011 .
Afghanistan’s importance with respect to the cultural impact of globalization is increasing as the war in Afghanistan draws down. Afghanistan sits on the edge of the unknown. Once the United States leaves it will be left to create its own destiny. The eyes of the world will be on Afghanistan to see who it allies with, who it trades with and how it conducts itself.
Afghanistan; Taliban controlled, discrimination and love everywhere yet nowhere at the same time. It’s a nation where culture and tradition are of immense importance, especially to the older generation. Over 53% of Afghan population is below the poverty line, making the country one of the Earth’s poorest. Life would be lived on a day to day basis, not knowing if it’s safe to be outside, when...
Council, H. P. (2012). Afghanistan's vision by 2015 . Kabul: High Peace Council law committee .