Flying Pigs and the Drug War

The United States can either attempt to wage an effective counterinsurgency and decentalized institution building campaign in Afghanistan or an ineffective drug eradication campaign. It can not run both, and if it tries to do both, both will fail miserably. Counterinsurgencies rely on the counterinsurgent force being able to provide security and hard to substitute public goods to populations. The ability to feed one's family with socially acceptable and legally tolerated means is one of those public goods. Eradication means knocking out one of the few viable cash crops in Afghanistan which predicates a migration towards the Taliban, and other non-state armed groups to provide local security.

Andrew Stuttaford at the Corner has the quip of the day as he looks at the absurdity of the situation

The drug warriors are, it seems, continuing in their efforts to sabotage the war against Islamic extremism in Afghanistan. The New York Times has the details.....

Of course it's 'crazy', Matt, it's the drug war