the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Dec 6, 2004
A United Nations opium survey revealed that the land area used for poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has increased by 64% within the last year. The country now produces 87% of the world’s opium. The figure would probably be even higher if it weren’t for a drought and disease befalling much of the crop.
If you think these figures don’t go well with the rosy picture painted by George Bush about Afghanistan’s progress, try the White House’s own figures–which in fact exceed those of the U.N. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the area under opium cultivation in Afghanistan has increased about 240% over 2003!
So, three years after its "liberation" from the backward and oppressive Taliban regime (which had effectively stopped opium production in the regions it controlled), Afghanistan has reclaimed its place as the world’s top opium producer.
That means more opium and heroin to flood Europe and the U.S. So how come the mighty U.S. and its European allies can’t do what the Taliban did and stop the production of opium in Afghanistan?
It’s not that they can’t. They don’t want to. Turning a blind eye to the opium traffic is how the U.S. is rewarding its allies in Afghanistan, the notorious warlords who themselves are the drug traffickers.