Afghanistan: Opium Cultivation and Its Impact on Reconstruction

摘要

For more than twenty years Afghanistan reigned as one of the world's leading sources of illicit opium. Lack of governance civil unrest and instability contributed to the country's dominance of opium cultivation and trade. Shortly following 9/11 and fall of the Taliban a new Afghan governmental structure was formed. The establishment of a democracy in Afghanistan charts a new era for the country and could potentially set in motion a movement to abolish cultivation and trade of opium. Afghanistan's challenge however to establish a secure and stable government directly impacts on its status as the worlds largest source of illicit opium. This paper examines the nexus between Afghanistan's opium economy and government authority as well as the impact they have on post conflict reconstruction. Key areas include a historical perspective of the country's political environment and opium economy the Islamic Transitional Government of Afghanistan & the United Kingdom's drug control policy and US drug control policy for Afghanistan. If Afghanistan is to succeed as a nation-state devoid of an illicit opium economy it must prevent deterioration of the central authority of the government.