As a result, Afghans are increasingly turning against coalition forces and offering support to the Taliban, it said.
Canadians seen as linked to anti-poppy policies
While the 2,300 Canadian soldiers currently deployed in Afghanistan aren't directly involved in poppy eradication, they are seen as part of the U.S.-led effort, said the report.
Canada should step away from American policies on poppy farms and create its own policies to address the issue, said the council.
Afghanistan is responsible for 87 per cent of the world's supply of illegal opium, the United Nations estimates.
As many as 3.5 million Afghans are involved in the trade, which accounts for more than 50 per cent of the country's gross domestic product.
Most of that illegal opium ends up in Europe and the U.S.
The report also said Canadian development initiatives in the country have failed because of the U.S.-led policies.
Full story
rearguard writes: This is what happens when you bend over backwards to become the USG's war toy.
Note: Full story
Canadians Dying Over U.S. Drug Policy In Afghanistan: Report
Posted on Wednesday, June 28 at 11:49 by rearguardContributed By
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Afghan Opium And 50,000 American Drug Deaths
By Gideon Polya
28 October, 2005
Countercurrents.org
Anglo-American imperialism has involved the clever use of violence and propaganda. Horrendous mass mortality associated with Anglo-American strategy is invariably not reported, removed from general public perception, deleted from history and closeted from scrutiny and analysis. Thus the “forgotten”, man-made Bengal Famine in British-ruled India during World War 2 (4 million Hindu and Muslim victims) has been largely (but not completely) removed from British history. Colin Mason in “A Short History of Asia” condemns this “whitewashing” and suggests that this horrendous famine was the result of a deliberate, cold-blooded British “scorched earth” policy to deny food to a potential Japanese invasion from Burma.
Post-war First World colonialism, neo-colonialism and hegemony (notably by the UK, US, France, Portugal and Russia) are linked to horrendous (and continuing) avoidable mortality in the non-European World. The First World-complicit, post-1950 avoidable mortality (excess mortality) has been 1.3 billion for the World, 1.2 billion for the non-European World and 0.6 billion for the Muslim World – however this global holocaust and the associated 0.6 billion Muslim Holocaust are simply not reported by Western media.
In the 21st century we have seen truth-masking media hysteria over the 5,000 Western civilians killed by Muslim terrorists over the last 20 years (3,000 on 9/11). Mainstream media hysteria and lying by omission and commission over “terrorism” still prevent rational analysis of UK-US state terrorism, US backing of non-state terrorism (e.g. Al Qaeda, Contras and death squads from Latin America to Iraq), 9/11 and horrendous, racist, illegal Israeli impositions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Thus the US Administration is guilty of egregious lying since 9/11, the “official story” is extraordinarily implausible and now even some conservative Americans (notably Professors Morgan Reynolds and David Griffin) suspect that the US was actually responsible for 9/11. Nevertheless the benefits to the US military-industrial complex of “terrorism” and the “War on Terror” have been immense – US global hegemony, US conquest in the Middle East and Central Asia and record military expenditure (now totalling $1,000 billion dollars for the World and $500 billion for the US alone).
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The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.... : Albert Einstein
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/books/0618334661/reviews/702-4352238-7201605">http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/books/0618334661/reviews/702-4352238-7201605</a><br />
Quote: <br />
"As much as 10% of the American economy, and perhaps more, is comprised of illegal "underground" enterprises, according to author and Atlantic Monthly correspondent Eric Schlosser. And while this segment is never discussed in the newspaper business pages, Schlosser tackles it with the same in-depth analysis and compulsive readability that made his Fast Food Nation a best seller."<p>---<br>RickW<br />
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"The purpose of economic competition is to eliminate competition"...." - John Kenneth Galbraith
When the Taliban were in power the drug trade had all but disappeared.
The Taliban are strict (perhaps severe is a better word) muslims who ban the use of drugs and alchohol. Alternate sources of income were being developed but it always takes time.
It is hard, but not impossible, to imagine that the Taliban are now profiting from something that is abhorent to them but perhaps they are learning quickly from their U.S. oppressors.
As difficult as it is live within the strictures of the Taliban code, it is clearly more difficult to live with the easy lies of the U.S. invaders and the naive supporting countries.
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No sig. No time!
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"The purpose of economic competition is to eliminate competition"...." - John Kenneth Galbraith
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If you remember how the invasion was initiated, the US flew support bombing missions for the "Northern Alliance" which were a loosely held group of Warlords not yet under Taliban control. It is not hard to imagine how the US paid for the Northern Alliances crucial assistance - they did ALL of the ground fighting for the US military. Obviously part of the deal was to allow these Warlords to proceed with the opium trade after the Taliban were sent off. However, now the USG wants to take full control over Afghanistan, which means that the Warlords must be removed from power. Think about the childrens story about the King, the Mice, and the Cheese. The King brings in cats to get rid of the mice who are eating the Kings cheese, then he brings in dogs to get rid of the cats, then lions to get rid of the dogs, then elephants to get rid of the lions. Eventually he brings back the mice to get rid of the elephants, and ends up having to make a deal with the mice who get to stay in the Kings palace and eat the cheese.
Will we end up seeing the Taliban return to power, with a deal to allow a protected gas and oil pipeline through the country? This was the deal the Taliban were negotiating with US oil companies just prior to the staged 9/11 attacks.
If such a thing happens, they'll have to rename the Taliban to something else as a face saving measure.
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RickW
"The purpose of economic competition is to eliminate competition"...." - John Kenneth Galbraith
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"I think it's important to always carry enough technology to restart civilization, should it be necessary." Mark Tilden
What our governments do is to pick their presently favoured bunch of nutcases and throw our bodies into their service.
I was in the Hungarian army in WW2, defending a road between Poland and Germany, while my family was destroyed back home.
Of course, it was in the service of "Freedom, Christianity and Western Civilization, led by the Leader with the Cross on his Chest". Adolf Schickelgruber.
So, what has changed? Or what was ever any different in history? Will people ever wake up and use history to predict the future? Yes, it can be done, because history always repeats itself as long as we permit the crooks and nuts to lead us up the same well worn garden paths of the ages.
Ed Deak.
I am confused about the links the spam blocker prevents some
I haver been trying to comply. honest
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The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.... : Albert Einstein
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"I think it's important to always carry enough technology to restart civilization, should it be necessary." Mark Tilden
Wow. A victim of propaganda!
Once the Taliban chopped down the Pistachio groves for lumber, they became dependent on their only cash crop - opium. They reduced the crop to drive up the street price in the rest of the world. Not out of sense of religious or worldly duty.
If Canada wants to truly become the 'good guy', they'll help Afghanis to develop another export crop that is at least as valuable per pound as raw opium. (Transportation costs are a bitch!). Wow, I guess that export could be oil! I suppose they'll need a pipeline for that. Oh! Sorry, that's a bad thing. I forgot. My bad.
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"I think it's important to always carry enough technology to restart civilization, should it be necessary." Mark Tilden