Afghanistan

How bad is it currently looking in the perpetually war-torn country? From the anti-drug war, Senlis Council report:

"The insurgency now controls vast swaths of unchallenged territory including rural areas, some district centres, and important road arteries.

"The Taliban are the de facto governing authority in significant portions of territory in the south and east, and are starting to control parts of the local economy and key infrastructure such as roads and energy supply." [...]

"The depressing conclusion is that, despite the vast injections of international capital flowing into the country, and a universal desire to 'succeed' in Afghanistan, the state is once again in serious danger of falling into the hands of the Taliban.

"It is a sad indictment of the current state of Afghanistan that the question now appears to be not if the Taliban will return to Kabul, but when this will happen and in what form."

It may be a futile effort to keep Afghanistan out of the hands of Muslim fanatics; but that doesn't mean we should help the process along with our current poppy strategy that is both alienating the local population, and funding the terrorist enemies.