Whistling in the Wind: The Inevitable Return of Poppy Cultivation to Afghanistan
David Mansfield
Chapter from the book: Mathiesen J. & Vestenskov D. 2024. Still Here: Understanding and Engaging with Afghanistan after August 2021.
Chapter from the book: Mathiesen J. & Vestenskov D. 2024. Still Here: Understanding and Engaging with Afghanistan after August 2021.
This chapter examines the Taliban’s efforts against drug production and trade in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s new drug edict in October 2023. Utilizing data from satellite imagery analysis, the authors extensive field work in Afghanistan, and reports by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the chapter explores the political and economic impacts of the Taliban’s drug ban, as well as its implementation. The main argument presented is that while the ban may lead to significant political and economic ramifications, including undermining the livelihoods of millions involved in poppy cultivation, it could also provoke rural unrest and weaken Taliban rule. The chapter concludes that international engagement needs a more realistic approach to counternarcotics, that recognizes (i) the uneven nature of the Taliban’s current efforts with a focus on banning poppy cultivation, not prohibiting the trade in opium and its derivatives, and (ii) that transitioning away from illicit drug production requires a growing economy and the creation of large numbers of jobs to support the land-poor - not simply a focus on alternative crops targeted at the landed. As such, any future counternarcotics efforts should not be pursued as “stand alone” interventions as was the case in the past, but integrated across the entire development effort in Afghanistan.
Mansfield, D. 2024. Whistling in the Wind: The Inevitable Return of Poppy Cultivation to Afghanistan. In: Mathiesen J. & Vestenskov D (eds.), Still Here. Copenhagen: Scandinavian Military Studies. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31374/book3.i
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Published on Nov. 26, 2024