Letters to the editors

Media Centre / Letters to the editors


The Taliban are taking over 31 AUGUST 2008 No one wants to face reality and admit the Taliban are winning (Taliban win over locals at the gates of Kabul, World, last week). The international community has failed the Afghans. There must be a doubling of troops in the conflict areas, the German military must step out of their non-combat role and join the fighting, and other Nato members must step up to the challenge. Taliban financing through opium trafficking can be dealt with by allowing Afghan farmers to grow the opium poppy for the medicine morphine. more...		A better solution for the opium problem 29 AUGUST 2008 Sir, It is dangerously premature to declare that the tide has turned in the fight against opium production in Afghanistan (UN report hails progress in war against opium trade in Afghanistan, Aug 27). The small decrease in this year’s crop is due largely to the effects of severe drought throughout much of the country. Many farmers whose crops failed will now be forced to plant even more poppy in the coming season in order to pay off their debts. more...
Poppy eradication has failed 28 AUGUST 2008 Re: Progress in Afghanistan (Opinion, Aug. 26). Writer Robert B. Zoellick's arguments for the advancement of Afghanistan's infrastructure, particularly the health and education sectors, are to be commended. However, a vital component missing in Zoellick's argument and in the country's development program has been omitted; effective counter-narcotics policies. With more than three million Afghans currently financially dependent on poppy cultivation for survival, current U.S.-led policies aimed at addressing Afghanistan's spiralling opium production have not only proven unsuccessful but counter-productive. Forced poppy-crop eradication, a strategy that has failed to reduce poppy cultivation, while alienating local farmers and pushing them further into the arms of the Taliban, lies at the heart of the country's problems. more...		We need a new Afghan strategy 23 AUGUST 2008 Re: 3 Canadian Soldiers Killed Near Kandahar, Aug. 22. These three Canadian deaths, as well as substantial losses for other NATOISAF and Afghan forces, send a clear message that the current Western strategy in Afghanistan is failing. Western leaders can no longer deny the true extent of the Taliban presence in Afghanistan. The developments of the past week - including the deaths of 10 French soldiers and the suicide attacks on the U. S. base in Khost province-- make it clear that a new troop deployment is required simply to secure the capital. Canada must call for an emergency meeting of NATO, and at the top of the agenda must be the removal of caveats that prevent German troops based in the North from fighting. more...
Help stabilize Afghanistan: Legitimize poppy production 16 AUGUST 2008 Regarding the Aug. 11 article, Stronger US role likely in Afghanistan: The tragic effects of the conflict between NATO-led forces and the Taliban insurgency are being felt across Afghanistan. Research by The Senlis Council has shown that as long ago as November 2007, the Taliban had a permanent presence in 54 percent of Afghan territory. This figure can only have risen during 2008. Taliban attacks this summer have been widespread throughout rural and urban areas, and key roads are now held by the insurgents. more...		Poppy for medicine 6 AUGUST 2008 Dear sir, Ottawa -- Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson and the Canadian government should be applauded for resisting U.S. pressure to support poppy eradication efforts in Afghanistan (Burning Afghan Poppy Crops No Solution: Emerson - online edition, Aug. 3). Crop eradication has never enjoyed any success in reducing drug crop yields worldwide; moreover, it consistently undermines NATO's struggle against a resurgent Taliban by leaving impoverished farmers disillusioned with Western forces, pushing them further into the arms of the insurgents. more...
NATO and the Taliban 5 AUGUST 2008 Dear sir, Your article rigorously highlights the soaring levels of violence in Afghanistan carried out by Islamic militants in recent months ("Afghanistan spiralling back to days of Taliban, say charities", 1 August). As a result of political and military neglect by both domestic and international actors, these ruthless attacks have cost innocent Afghan lives and further fractured the country's fragile security situation. more...		Genuine help for Afghanistan 1 August 2008 The task facing NATO in Afghanistan is more challenging than ever, as the Taliban increases its hold on the south and east of the country while Western forces find themselves understaffed and caught between conflicting counternarcotics and counterterrorism strategies ("Achieving victory in Afghanistan," Editorial, Thursday). Policy-makers' instinctive recourse to military means for solving these problems is further damaging the Afghan mission's chances of success. The prospect of winning Afghan "hearts and minds" through military force and crop eradication is highly unlikely. more...
Use the poppies to produce morphine 1 AUGUST 2008 Sir, Your editorial “Afghan drug crisis” (July 30) correctly identifies current counter-narcotic strategies in Afghanistan as ineffective and hindering Nato-International Security Assistance Force counter-terrorism operations. The worst among many failing drug policies is forced poppy crop eradication. By robbing the farmers of a crop that serves as their sole source of income, the international community has played directly into the hands of the Taliban. more...		Afghanistan's Opium 28 JULY 2008 Dear Sir. Thomas Schweich's article "Is Afghanistan a narco-state?" (July 24) vividly illustrates the total mismanagement of current U.S. counter-narcotics strategy in Afghanistan. Thankfully, Schweich's favored policy of chemical eradication of opium crops has thus far failed to get off the ground. The herbicides used in such operations are not, as Schweich claims, harmless to humans... more...
NATO must Tackle Taliban in Pakistan 20 JUNE 2008 Without Nato action to tackle Taliban operations in Pakistan, it will be impossible to prevent the growth of the insurgency in Afghanistan (Karzai threatens to send troops into Pakistan). Taliban forces continue to use tribal areas in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province as a staging post. Militants once trained by Pakistan as part of their strategic arsenal against India have now fallen outside of their mentor's control. Islamabad's response oscillates between military containment and political mediation... more...		The cost of the UK's special relationship 19 JUNE 2008 The deaths of four more British soldiers in Afghanistan, bringing the total number of British servicemen killed there to 106, vividly outlines the drastically deteriorating security situation in the country. These deaths are also further evidence that the West can no longer achieve success in Afghanistan by military means alone... more...
Poppy Appeal 5 JUNE 2008 Sir: Fraser Nelson’s article accurately outlines the urgent need to implement an alternative counter-narcotics policy in Afghanistan (‘The precarious peace in Helmand’, 28 May). Helmand province now cultivates half of Afghanistan’s opium in a country which accounts for 93 per cent of the global illegal opium market... more...		A war of money as well as bullets, May 24th 18 JUNE 2008 SIR - In the face of a resurgent Taliban force, effective development and counter-narcotics policies are an indispensable part of a counter-insurgency strategy (“A war of money as well as bullets”, May 24th). There is little doubt that NATO would stand a far superior chance of success in Afghanistan with more troops contributed by its member states. However, the military’s job could be made easier if their enemy was not kept in business by the proceeds of the cultivation of poppy for heroin. more...
Winning hearts, minds and lives 4 JUNE 2008 Your article aptly highlights the opium crisis currently hindering stability, security and reconstruction efforts in southern Afghanistan. As a native Afghan who has spent many years in my homeland, it is the drug traffickers and Taliban, however, who profit from the country's burgeoning illegal opium economy. For the vast majority of impoverished Afghan farmers and sharecroppers, poppy cultivation is a desperate survival strategy. more...		The Heroin Trade 25 MAY 2008 Sir, Your article outlining the perpetual difficulties facing the escalating levels of heroin smuggled into Britain accurately paints the rather grim picture of the drug situation in Britain today (May 16). However, in spite of current production and consumption levels, there are ways of dealing with the challenges heroin poses to our society... more...
Policy failures in Somalia conflict 15 MAY 2008 Somalia has been in a state of hopeless conflict for many years (Somali refugees speak of horrific war crimes, May 7). The current US-led war on terror approach is creating a space in which extremist groups such as al-Shabab have become legitimate political actors, while policy failures have enabled the local insurgency to find support and develop recruitment bases... more...		Opium Policy 1 MAY 2008 Sir: Your article correctly highlights the dangers Afghanistan's heroin trade poses to UK troops and British society at large (Drugs for guns: how the Afghan heroin trade is fuelling the Taliban insurgency, 29 April). However, the current strategy used to combat escalating opium production levels – forced poppy crop eradication – has destroyed the livelihoods of entire farming communities, driving them into the hands of the Taliban and putting UK troops at further risk... more...
Medicinal Heroin 10 APRIL 2008 The opium problem in Afghanistan is being addressed in a careless and destructive way, resulting in more harm than good (Fixing Afghanistan Op-Ed, Friday). The United States is trying to get rid of the opium problem by poppy-crop eradication. This method of simply destroying the opium at its source is far from being an ideal solution, and the children of families left with no livelihoods are the next generation of insurgents... more...		Poppy problems 10 APRIL 2008 The editorial on the opium crisis in Afghanistan (Afghanistan's poppy problems, Khaleej Times, April 6) rightly points to the need for economic development and financial aid to tackle the country's main obstacle on the road to stability and peace. The current US-led attempts to address the opium crisis have focused on forced poppy crop eradication, which has alienated farmers by destroying their only livelihoods and helping the Taleban increase both its support and recruitment base... more...
Solutions for the tough realities of Afghanistan 14 MARCH 2008 The struggle to eliminate the global threat of terrorism will need a careful measure of military might and effective aid and development strategies. The Afghan example illustrates two policy failures: military power falling just short of adequacy because of NATO caveats, and poor counter-narcotics strategies. Certain NATO members must allow their troops to contribute to the true fight in Afghanistan, which is in the south along the Pakistani border, where terrorists enjoy a haven... more...		Nato lets down Afghans 25 FEBRUARY 2008 Sir - The internal strife within Nato over Afghanistan may very well spell disaster for the credibility and future of the alliance ("Canadians to quit Afghanistan", report, February 22), but that is not the greatest concern of the Afghan people. The dispute between Nato members bearing the brunt of counter-insurgency operations and those focusing on development and reconstruction in the more stable areas of the country may jeopardize the prospects of organising presidential elections in 2009... more...
La crisis afgana 19 FEBRUARY 2008 El último atentado terrorista en el sur de Afganistán reafirma de nuevo la profundidad de la crisis de seguridad en el país. Sin embargo, no es sólo la fuerza de los talibanes y otros grupos insurgentes lo que pone en peligro el futuro del país surasiático. La creciente división en la OTAN profundiza la crisis de una manera sin precedentes. ... more...		NATO and Afghan elections 15 FEBRUARY 2008 Regarding the column "A growing rift" by William Pfaff (Views, Feb. 12): NATO's internal strife over Afghanistan might spell disaster for the credibility and future of the Atlantic Alliance. However, that's not what the Afghan people are most worried about... more...
Back Poppy for Medicine initiative 15 FEBRUARY 2008 Sir, Paddy Ashdown laudably addresses the critical situation in Afghanistan, outlining a potentially effective plan of action for the war-torn country (February 13). To this commendable list one can add an element at the nexus of security and development efforts in Afghanistan – the country’s escalating opium crisis. more...		Saving Afghanistan 26 JANUARY 2008 The Manley panel correctly identified the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan by recommending that 1,000 extra troops be sent to Kandahar. However, NATO overall would need to double its ground troop capacity to 80,000 and remove all caveats of where troops are deployed, if it is to have any chance of halting the insurgency's momentum. Indeed, recent Senlis Council research indicates that the Taliban now have a presence in 54% of Afghanistan. more...
Bringing stability to Afghanistan 24 JANUARY 2008 The report by the Afghanistan NGO Security Office (Aid groups warn war in Afghanistan just beginning', January 21 ) highlights the drastically deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. Senlis Council research indicates there is now a permanent Taliban presence in 54% of Afghanistan. Furthermore, the insurgents' attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul has shown that the Taliban is an increasing threat to security. more...		Help for Afghanistan 19 JANUARY 2008 Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann correctly characterizes the increasingly volatile conditions in Afghanistan by noting the presence of a “growing Taliban resurgence” (“Afghans, Report for Duty,” Op-Ed, Jan. 14). Recent Senlis Council research indicates that a resurgent Taliban now has a permanent presence in 54 percent of the country. more...
"War on terror" cannot be won through the war on drugs 8 JANUARY 2008 Sir, Edmund Phelps and Graciana del Catillo (“A strategy to help Afghanistan kick its habit”, January 4) are right that an effective reconstruction strategy is required to stop the Taliban’s resurgence. However, their suggestion to provide public price support for “legal” crops will only work if there is a viable Afghan polity. This requires immediately ending the Taliban's access to the “illegal” profits from the drug trade. more...		Afghan Opium Crisis 8 JANUARY 2008 Sir, General Dan McNeill predicts that an explosive growth in opium-yielding poppy crops in Afghanistan will fuel the Taleban insurgency. However, the strategy currently used to counter the escalating opium production levels — forced poppy crop eradication — is sparking local tensions even farther by destroying the livelihoods of the rural Afghan communities.. more...
Answer To Opium Crisis 19 DECEMBER 2007 The Prime Minister's speech on his strategy for Afghanistan had one glaring omission: a change of counter-narcotics policy. Instead, Gordon Brown pledged to press on with eradication efforts in Afghanistan, despite the fact the strategy is failing – opium production in the country rose by 34 per cent in 2007. more...		Resolving Afghanistan's opium crisis 17 DECEMBER 2007 Sir: You raise some important issues about Afghanistan's opium crisis and the Senlis Council's Poppy for Medicine proposal. However, buying up the Afghan opium crop to make medical supplies has never been part of this proposal; it is simply not viable. more...
Antidrug effort will do harm, not good 1 NOVEMBER 2007 Chemical Spraying in Afghanistan to wipe out the country's illegal narcotics trade would be nothing short of disastrous (Afghans may reconsider stance on poppy-spraying, Page A6, Oct. 22). Not only would it create even more suffering for the country's impoverished rural communities, it would give the Taliban the decisive edge in southern Afghanistan, where the country's future stability and popular rejection, or not, of extremism hang in the balance. more...		Aiding Afghan Farmers - and Security 9 NOVEMBER 2007 One of the largest contributors to the rapid deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan has been the U.S.-led eradication of poppy crops. By robbing farmers of their sole source of income, the international community has played directly into the hands of the Taliban. more...
Don’t Spray the Poppies 16 OCTOBER 2007 The American-led counternarcotics policy of forced poppy crop eradication in Afghanistan has been pivotal in hindering stability, security and development in the country’s most impoverished regions. Starting a more aggressive approach like chemical spraying would be nothing short of disastrous. more...		Spraying poppies will not win over Afghans 12 OCTOBER 2007 "Sir - Given that the south of Afghanistan is already suffering from starvation, chemical spraying (report, October 10) would be catastrophic for the agricultural community, destroying licit crops interspersed with poppy, while turning the population against Nato troops and the Karzai government..." more...
Afghanistan's poppy crop 10 OCTOBER 2007 "Sir: The international community must back President Karzai in his opposition to the US-proposed chemical spraying of Afghanistan's poppy crop ("US wants to bring Colombia tactics to Afghan drugs war", 4 October). The current counter-narcotics policy of forced poppy crop eradication has only helped hinder stability, security and development in Afghanistan's poorest areas – a more aggressive approach would be nothing short of disastrous..." more...		Poppy Production 28 AUGUST 2007 Sir, Your leading article laudably addresses the urgent need for a new counter-narcotics approach in Afghanistan (August 20). Indeed, a series of well-intentioned but flawed strategies, from eradicating poppy fields to Britain purchasing the crop, have proven nothing short of disastrous. more...
Mohnanbau für die Medizin legalisieren 01 AUGUST 2007 "Ohne eine radikale Änderung in Afghanistan wird es für die im Land stationierten internationalen Truppen und Journalisten immer gefährlicher. Es deutet alles darauf hin, dass die Taliban durch militärische Mittel allein nicht beseitigt werden können. Es sollte daher ein größerer Schwerpunkt auf Wiederaufbau und Entwicklungshilfe gelegt werden...." more...		Let poppies bloom in Afghanistan 24 JULY 2007 "A drastic new approach must be taken in Afghanistan if we are to succeed there (We are failing in Afghanistan, July 19). One of the most damaging policies has been forced poppy crop eradication, which hinders stability, security and development in the country's most impoverished areas, destroying the one cash crop for millions of Afghan people. Forced crop eradication has left the poorest farmers with no means to feed their families and makes them easy prey for Taliban recruiting. The US is now pushing for chemical spraying for the next planting season, which will only aggravate the already dire situation. ..." more...