Is USA profiting from drug trade in Afghanistan at the cost of loosing respect Internationally?

Question

A big share of this multi-billion dollar revenues of narcotics are deposited in the Western banking system.

But an important point is that this “illicit” trade cannot survive unless the main actors involved in narcotics have "political friends in high places."

Revenues from the CIA sponsored Afghan drug trade are huge. The Afghan trade in opiates constitutes a large share of the worldwide annual turnover of narcotics. (Douglas Keh, Drug Money in a Changing World, Technical document No. 4, 1998, Vienna UNDCP, p. 4. See also United Nations Drug Control Program, Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 1999, E/INCB/1999/1 United Nations, Vienna 1999, p. 49-51, and Richard Lapper, UN Fears Growth of Heroin Trade, Financial Times, 24 February 2000).

According to IMF estimates, global money laundering is between 590 billion and 1.5 trillion dollars a year, representing 2-5 percent of global GDP, a big share of global money laundering is linked to the trade in narcotics.

According to 2003 figures, drug trafficking constitutes "the third biggest global commodity in cash terms after oil and the arms trade." (The Independent, 29 February 2004).

Hence, the above figures show that most of the revenues linked to the global trade in narcotics are not appropriated by “terrorist” organisations and warlords, as claimed by the U.S. officials and the American President

Answer 1

Y'know? I was wondering why, with all the unilateral military action from the U.S., no one has bothered to just spray the poppy fields. Thank you for giving me some data to work with.

Answer 2

The whole thing with Iraq has made no sense. We should have never gone to war, and why did we do Operation Desert Storm and then go back a few years later? And if it was in the name of "Operation Iraqi Freedom", then why aren't we fighting for "Operation Zimbabwe Freedom", which would be a lot shorter war than with Iraq. It's really given the US a bad name. It's hard to know what we should do, because now we also have Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, and Pakistan has indicated the US cannot search for Taliban in Pakistan. Meanwhile, I think China will become more of a threat along with Africa becoming more and more destabilized. And what about North Korea?

Answer 3

I hope we are making some money off of the drugs in Afghanistan so that it offsets the money we have had to spend saving the women of Afghanistan from the Taliban Monkey Men!



If I had to wear a Burkha in 110 degree heat I would be looking for anyone to save me. Thank you America, defender of women's rights.

Answer 4

Not directly.



But thank God for the best opium crop in history. Now even School kids can afford Heroin.



Do you know how easy it is for Army requiters to get a kid on smack to join.



It only proves the God is on the side of America.



Go big Red Go

Answer 5

Is that how they fund the secret prison system?

Answer 6

if the libs would quit doing drugs it would go away right?

Answer 7

dUde, the fact remains that we need drugs in this counrty to keep the black man down Duh.