Publication

This study examines how the Taliban profit from narcotics, probes how traffickers influence the strategic goals of the insurgency, and considers the extent to which narcotics are changing the nature of the insurgency itself. It argues that it is no longer possible to treat the insurgency and the drug trade as separate matters to be handled by military and law enforcement, respectively. According to the author, a successful policy in Afghanistan would not prioritize but would mount a multipronged attack, combining intensive diplomacy; a reshaped military and intelligence strategy; police, judicial, and economic reform; and targeted development programs. Instead of nation building, she argues, this problem requires region building.