Iraqi's didn't exactly greet us with flowers as promised, but in Afghanistan things are definitely flowering.
Opium Yield Drops Only Slightly in AfghanistanKABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 29 -- Opium production in Afghanistan has dropped by just 2 percent this year, despite a major clampdown on poppy farmers that sharply reduced the amount of land used to grow opium poppies, the U.N. anti-drug chief said Monday.
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The United States, Britain and other countries have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into an anti-drug campaign in Afghanistan after opium and heroin production ballooned in recent years.
You remember the war on drugs? We've been fighting that for what
40 years? Wasn't Bush the elder how really took on the
War on Drugs mantle? It was Reagan who appointed the first Drug Czar (a drinking, smoking, gambler, who yells at everyone for being immoral).
The War on Drugs alas is too similar with the War on Terror. Civil liberties taken away, billions spent, and all we got to show for it is more people taking drugs and more violence.
The War of Drugs however is a money train for those involved. It was a defense contractors dream during peace time, and is still a nice side business during the Iraq war.
The programs that do work (getting people of drugs is a worthy goal) however are not that ones that involve arrests, guns, and billions. It is intervention. It is caring. It is education. It is sissy stuff and unfortunately we'd rather be macho then effective.
In 1994 and 1997, the RAND Corporation releases reports showing that drug treatment and education is 7 times more cost effective than criminal interdiction.
When fighting a "war" blowing up something seems more proactive then giving a kid a tour of a drug ward, and though we know what is cheaper and what works - we'd still rather blow things up.
Believe it or not - the option of doing positive, comparatively cheap, proactive interdiction works with the War on Terror too.
Helping in Indonesia after the Tsunami helped save us unknown millions (billions) in "terror war" costs in the future - in ways we will never really know.
Clinton, who has been deeply involved in the post-tsunami relief effort in southeast Asia with former President George H.W. Bush, cited a poll taken in Indonesia to illustrate how small efforts can have a ripple effect.
Before the tsunami, 36 percent of Indonesians had a positive impression of Americans, compared to 60 percent after the disaster, Clinton said. In contrast, Osama bin Laden's positive impressions among those polled in the heavily Muslim nation dropped from 58 percent to 28 percent.
"He [Osama] didn't do anything to help these people after the tsunami, but people in New Jersey did," Clinton said to a roar from the audience. "And they got it."
- Clinton at Drew
Unfortunately the Association of Thoughtful and Efficient Policy lobby doesn't have much of a budget.
- crossposted at This Century Sucks (and if you read it there you get the bonus of more typos!)