Publication

This paper addresses the issue of opium production in Myanmar. As the international community focused on the fate of the democracy movement, the author argues, other issues, drug production in particular, have been neglected. The author argues that the government of Myanmar has achieved significant progress in the past decade in reducing the cultivation of illicit crops, primarily through an effective combination of conflict management and counternarcotics strategies. The author notes that although success thus far has been impressive, the process is stalling because of lack of alternatives for farmers. Foreign investment in alternative crops is urgently needed, she argues.