During a Moscow-Washington videoconference, hosted by RIA Novosti on June 3, Russian and American experts agreed that the problem of Afghan drug trafficking requires a comprehensive international solution.
Last year Afghanistan produced twice the amount of drugs produced by the entire world 10 years ago. According to Russia’s Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN), about 100,000 people are killed by Afghan opium every year. This is more than were killed by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. In Russia alone, 30,000 young people die of Afghan heroin every year. According to the FSKN, almost all the drugs smuggled into Russia originate in Afghanistan.
On June 9 and 10, Moscow will host the international forum, “Drug Production in Afghanistan: A Challenge for the International Community.” Its goal is to develop a common platform to counter drug trafficking. In attendance will be heads of anti-drug organizations and law enforcement agencies from various countries, statesmen and politicians, prominent experts, Russian and foreign journalists, as well as representatives of the United Nations, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), NATO, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and other international organizations.
The forum is being organized by RIA Novosti with the support of the State Anti-Drug Committee, the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy (CFDP) and the Institute of Demography, Migration and Regional Development.
Caroline Wadhams, the director for South Asia Security Studies at the Center for American Progress, said that there has been no significant progress in the fight against illegal drug production.
During her talk on the subject, “What to do with Afghan opium poppy fields? Russian and U.S. views,” Ms. Wadhams noted that some changes are still underway. Whereas before the focus was on destroying poppy fields, now it is on drug addiction.
Ashraf Haidari, the Political Counselor of the Embassy of Afghanistan to the United States, emphasized the need to tackle illegal drug production at the international level. He noted that the drug problem is inextricably linked with Afghanistan’s economic hardships. According to his data, unemployment has reached 70%-80% in some regions of Afghanistan.
“It is no surprise that people get involved in illegal drug production. They are making very little money, because the lion’s share of profits go to organized crime groups,” he explained.
He noted that fighting organized crime is another main goal, followed by reducing demand for drugs. “If the demand is brought down, the supply will decrease automatically,” Haidari said.
Yossef Bodansky, director of research at the International Strategic Studies Association, shares this opinion. “Money from drug trafficking is the main source of income for the economic and political elite,” said Bodansky. “And as long as the system needs money, there will be no incentive to reduce the number of people involved in drug production.”
Yury Krupnov, chairman of the Supervisory Council of the Institute of Demography, Migration and Regional Development, said that 95% of the world’s opium production is based in Afghanistan, and 65% is concentrated in a single Afghan province.
“We cannot shift the entire burden onto the shoulders of the Afghan government,” Krupnov said. He expressed his belief that destroying poppy fields is necessary despite the differences on the issue between Russia and the United States. Washington and NATO believe that this will deprive Afghan peasants of their source of income. In contrast, Russia considers it one of the most effective measures in the fight against the production and distribution of drugs. The FSKN classifies Afghan heroin production as a global threat.
“For all the complexity of the problem, if we do not destroy poppy fields we will just be postponing the solution indefinitely,” Krupnov said. He cited the example of Columbia where, according to various estimates, two-thirds of coca plantations were destroyed in 2008. By comparison, no more than three percent of poppy fields were destroyed in Afghanistan.
Omar Nessar, the head of the Center for Modern Afghanistan Studies (CMAS), mentioned several key elements of a successful anti-drug strategy. These include putting an end to opium crop cultivation, destroying drug labs, fighting drug trafficking both inside Afghanistan and on the border and reducing demand outside Afghanistan.
MOSCOW, June 3-RIA Novosti.
