Would this work in Afghanistan ?

Question

pay top price and buy all the poppies. Bring them to UK. proceess them and manufacture medical opiates etc to pay for the deal. burn the rest.
Result: many troops come home. Cash goes into Afghanistan. Capitalism breaks out. Taliban are history

Answer 1

After 4 yrs of killing we don't seem to have made much progress. I like your idea, but rrather than hear from all the arm chair generals as you have, I would like to hear someone on cable news ask some of the "experts" about your idea. I sure wish more people using this site would ask specific ??s as you have done. Thanks and don't give up.

Answer 2

The people out there have had a terrible time and as life starts to recover from the Taliban regime, they are so grateful to have our troops out there to help them - I know because I speak with them daily. The opium trade is a real problem, because there is very little employment and poverty is at an all time high and the opium trade is a way for them to make money. This industry is huge and it is using thousands of young people to keep it going. We need to help create new opportunities for them to help themselves away from that environment.

I work for a charity that is funded by UK government and we have set up a school to train young Afghans to hand weave carpets. We feed them, teach them basic literary skills and then they learn a trade that they will be able to use for the rest of their lives. The best we can do is buy the carpets that they make and encourage them to build industries such as the carpet making. This is about creating a stable and sustainable economy in a fair trade economy. The carpet trade is massive around the world. Persian rugs have dominated since the Afghan carpet industry was destroyed by the Taliban - already we are generating thousands of pounds of income for them. It was huge business for them before the Taliban and if they can regrow it, then there may be a future. All sorts of other jobs are created as a result - transport, packaging, equipment for the schools and factories, catering, etc etc. This is not peacemeal - this is the future.

Answer 3

Really do you think that this has anything to really do with poppies? Afghanistan is about trying to tie an aggression to something that has to do with terrorism. the POPPY ISSUE IS REALLY NONE EXISTENCE. Sorry about that I hit cap lock. If you want to use poppies to bring capitalism I have no problem with that Governments might but I believe that if the masses are that dumb then let us make some ging off of them. And lets be honest if you choose to go the capitalist way with them we still would be making a killing off of them. Hand weave carpets really???? Hard to take a stiff line on some issues.

Answer 4

Unfortunatly not. You can't change a political and cultural ethic by throwing cash at them.

Also, if you make the poppy growers rich they'll just farm more poppies! As for the Taliban being history - if they control the majority of poppy production you'll actually be funding them, making them stronger.

Answer 5

Sounds good in theory, but a few canny Afghans might keep a few poppies set aside for themselves.

Finding all the poppy seeds could be a tricky task.

Answer 6

No it wouldn't work at all ..... Afghanistan provides the world with 75% of opium .... its big business over there and whats stopping them planting more? Plus can you imagine the cost of that !
While it seems like a simple and effective idea it would just be impossible in reality .... its too simple ....

Answer 7

they'd only keep on raising the price on you

Answer 8

the C.I.A wont be very happy with you taking all their drug money