Related: Kinzer Too Kind
"Many Americans who travel widely observe a curious phenomenon: Despite all of our misdeeds, huge numbers of people around the world admire the United States. They envy our freedom, our stability, our prosperity, and the vigor of our society. Over the long term, showing these people that the United States cares for them — regardless of their political leaders — can bring great strategic benefits. This kind of cooperation plays to our strengths. Invasions and bombing campaigns show the world our worst side."
I'm going to be kind and not comment lest I get angry.
"US, Iran share a common enemy: Heroin" by Stephen Kinzer | April 07, 2014
Iran may have the worst opiate problem of any country in the world. Four million of its 70 million people are addicts. Overdose is the second leading cause of death, after traffic accidents. Half the prison population is made up of drug offenders. In many towns, and in rough Tehran neighborhoods like Davarze Ghar — “entrance to the cave” — addicts gather to use and, too often, die.
Experts say Iranians have turned to opiates partly out of despair at rising unemployment and economic trouble, and partly because alcohol, which they might otherwise use, is illegal. The main reason, though, is obvious. Iran shares a long and porous border with Afghanistan, which produces most of the world’s opium poppies.
It's the first time I've read where the stuff is coming from since Hoffman ignited all this, and it's in an op piece.
Iran has done what it can to deal with this burgeoning problem. Iranian troops patrol the border — hundreds have been killed by traffickers in recent years — and Iranian police seize more heroin than any other police force in the world.
When one looks at it and combines the knowledge of U.S. intelligence agency involvement in the drug trade, one sees an obvious attempt to destabilize Iran. Drug addiction is a valuable component to undermine the population of any society. Thus it is the Amerika's drug problems are so va$t.
The only way the supply can be seriously reduced, however, is through a major development effort inside Afghanistan.
They have had 12 years of AmeriKan efforts! I know all the money went into contractor and Afghan pockets, to later be deposited in Dubai, but come on!
Btw, supply WAS REDUCED under Taliban rule -- another reason those folks needed to be invaded!
Iran has long and deep ties to Afghanistan. Much of western Afghanistan was formerly part of Iran, and people there still speak Dari, which is closely related to Farsi. Iran is a vital partner in any project aimed at changing Afghanistan.
Related: Afghans Are Not Arabs
Yeah, well, all Muslim which means all enemy.
Yet because of political hostility, the United States has frozen Iran out of many multilateral efforts dealing with Afghanistan. That is because Iran is said to be seeking strategic advantage in Central Asia — which is true, but also true for the United States.
Most heroin used in the United States comes from Mexico, but the flood coming from Afghanistan depresses world prices and makes the drug easily affordable. Stemming that flood would be a contribution to global stability, a blow against trans-national organized crime, and a way for the United States and Iran to build confidence by working together on a project that is urgent but not political.
The American and Iranian opiate epidemics cannot be divorced from events in Afghanistan. That means they cannot be divorced from what the United States has done there. In 2001, when the United States invaded Afghanistan, that country produced one metric ton of heroin. Last year it produced 5,500 tons. This came after the Department of Defense spent $2 billion on counter-narcotics efforts. No assessment of the Afghan war is complete without these stark statistics.
Some of it dumping chemical weapons called defoliants on them, but you know.... It's AmeriKa! It's liberation along with your liver disease.
And as noted, Taliban nearly turned production off, those pious f***s!
Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense. One other country in the region would also have good reason to help: Russia, where millions are addicted and overdoses kill nearly 100 people every day, most of them young.
That's staggering, and follows the template I laid out above. Russia has even complained to NATO about the resumption of production and smuggling, to no avail.
This is not only an enormous public health and safety problem, but also a chance for the United States to work with two countries it often considers enemies.
Kind of hard to do that when DEA and CIA are the prime drug smugglers and such.
If nations push the United States away, that is their choice. As the most potent world power, however, the United States should not push others away. The world will always be populated by regimes that are either disturbers of global peace or seem that way to us. It is in America’s interest to maintain ties with their people even if we detest their leaders.
Many Americans who travel widely observe a curious phenomenon: Despite all of our misdeeds, huge numbers of people around the world admire the United States.
What do you mean "our?"
The mass-murdering wars based on lies and the inhumane torture of innocents are now simply "misdeeds."
They envy our freedom, our stability, our prosperity, and the vigor of our society. Over the long term, showing these people that the United States cares for them — regardless of their political leaders — can bring great strategic benefits. This kind of cooperation plays to our strengths. Invasions and bombing campaigns show the world our worst side.
Whose "we?"
I want to set the record straight right now. I, in now way, want to be or am associated in approval of all these wars based on lies and everything that came with them. Please don't apply ownership to me! I've been blogging for 8 years now (God, has it been that long) and protested for three before that! Iraq was definitely against my wishes, and so was Afghanistan per King and Gandhi principles. I've also been opposed to all the fomented coup attempts, political interference, threats, and outright military action in places all across the planet, Libya and Syria foremost in my mind, so don't be lumping me in with the select clique of war criminal leaders that have brought "us" here.
“We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies,” the British statesman Lord Palmerston famously asserted. The United States would do well to embrace this truism. It is certain that at some point, Iran will be on better terms with the United States. So will Russia. Cooperating with them can hasten that day. If cooperation also addresses a terrifying social problem that afflicts us all, it becomes an imperative.
--more--"
It's a photo of contractor protecting the opium crop!
UPDATE:
Just wanted you to note that Iran has been cooperating completely and really pissing people off, so much so that it is AmeriKa that is now holding hostages.
