It may not be possible to eradicate the poppy crop, but it may be possible to devote more to the middlemen. I woke up to news on NPR that the SCO is holding a meeting concerning Afghanistan and its drug trade in particular ahead of NATO’s meeting/the President’s announcement on the same subject. It occurs to that to get from Afghanistan – I repeat, Afghanistan – to Europe and the USA there must be an extraordinarily long logistics train. Is it really possible to move 75% or more of the world’s powder from the Kush to Berlin and New York without being able to cinch the chain in Tashkent or Delhi or Karachi or the Kurdish territories? Is it really unlikely that the Russian and Chinese intelligence services have a hand in making sure the smack gets from A to B?

In any case, we can’t raze the crops without alienating the farmers; we can’t significantly affect the Western market of ravers and the students and the addicts. Couldn’t we possibly cordon off the country using CIA and/or spec ops, or the countries next to the country?