NATO Afghan Plans Undermined by Opium Trade

During the Cold War it was said that the purpose of NATO was to keep the Americans in, the Soviets out and the Germans down. Since there are no more Soviets, NATO has been trying to find a purpose. Having sort of dealt with the death of Yugoslavia, it turned its hand to helping stabilize Afghanistan. Things there have suffered from a distracted America and rough terrain as well as reluctant governments. However, the problem that will derail NATO’s plans to hand over the security of the country to indigenous forces is the opium trade that funds the warlords. It will take a generation to fix.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said right before the 2-day NATO summit in Riga, Latvia, “Afghanistan is 'mission possible. We need to be frank about the risks, but we also need to avoid overdramatizing. NATO has been in Afghanistan for three years -- time enough to know what it takes to succeed." He added, “I would hope that by 2008, we'll have made considerable progress ... [with] effective and trusted Afghan security forces gradually taking control.” From his mouth to Allah’s ears.

However, the BBC reports, “Afghanistan supplies more than 90% of world opium and wiping out the illegal trade will take a generation, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said.” The ramifications of this are devastating. Narcotics, because of their illicit nature, engender corruption of state authorities. Local officials, who don’t get paid very well, are given substantial amounts to look the other way, if not cooperate, when it comes to opium.

So handing over to Afghan forces means handing over to people who may actually answer to drug barons rather than the elected government in Kabul. Taking the generation or so required to get rid of this source of rebel funding means a commitment of forces and resources that extends as far as politics can ever see. And failure in Afghanistan would undermine NATO’s resolve to act elsewhere.

The Secretary-General has a vision of NATO in the 21st century that does offer relevance to the alliance, and frankly, the world would be better off if it comes to fruition than if it doesn’t. “There are still too many messages of the Cold War in the way that NATO is structured,” he said. “Partnerships with nations around the world ... hold much potential. The decisions I expect from our summit here should help us unlock this potential.” Yet it is potential that is threatened by the opium poppy.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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