Not what we were going for in Afghanistan

INTERNATIONAL: "The Opium Brides of Afghanistan: In the country's poppy-growing provinces, farmers are being forced to sell their daughters to pay loans," by Sami Yousafzai and Ron Moreau, Newsweek, 7 April 2008, p. 38.

The story quotes one local saying that his five-year-old is worth $500-600. Sad indeed.

Comments

[Mike Frager]

Yep, crop eradication worked so well in Columbia, we just couldn't wait to drop it on Afghanistan.

Though, what I've heard is that only farmers without connections get their crops eradicated. Surprise, surprise!

We are not going to win the "War on Drugs" at all. We will fail laughably when we use supply-side tactics like eradication and interdiction. It is disgusting that our leaders are so stupid and cruel.

[Anonymous]

lol, Mike

(because, you know, it's laugh or cry...)

[Mark in Texas]

Like many of Afghanistan's problems, this would be made a lot easier with better roads.

Consider that if a farmer has to transport his crop to market on the back of a pack horse because the roads are not even good enough for a horse cart. Assume that you can carry $1000 worth of opium on a pack horse. How many horses would it take to transport $1000 worth of wheat?