The Convergence of the Narcotics Underworld and Extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan and Its Global Proliferation
| Author | David R. Winston |
| Editors | Victoria Jones, Marcus Andreopoulos, Thomas Hader |
| Released | 2022 |
| Language | English |
| NATO ISBN | 978-92-845-0221-9 |
Synopsis
The central aim of this book is to analyse the growth of the narcotics industry stemming from Afghanistan as well as Pakistan and the nexus that has formed between narcotics trafficking and terrorism/extremism. With the West’s withdrawal from Afghanistan precipitating the Taliban takeover of the country, the future for Afghanistan, and the Afghan narcotics industry, is uncertain. The Taliban have long used narcotics as their main source of revenue. Without the poppy crop, they may never have grown to be the massive organisation that they are today that was capable of toppling the Ghani government. Through examining the history of narcotics and its connection to terrorist groups, this book identifies how the world fell down this perilous path, and offers possible solutions to deal with this new dynamic.
Table of Contents
Author
Editors
Introduction
Chapter Outlines
Literature Review
Chapter One – Planting the Seed: Opium’s Origins in Afghanistan
Afghan Independence and the Dependence on Opium
Afghanistan’s Shift to an Opium Economy
Early Signs of the Illicit Narcotics Market in Afghanistan
One Step Forward, 20 Steps Back
Afghanistan’s Soviet Realignment
Daoud’s Failed Gamble and the Soviet-backed Coup
Chapter Two – The Puppet Masters and the Tracking Pipeline
Enter the Taliban
The Central Asia Dynamic
The Haqqani Network
Bhutto’s Mission
Chapter Three – Birth of the Narco-State
The Failed Karzai Experiment
Endemic Corruption
The Musharraf Agenda
Chapter Four – The Terror Racket
Formal / Informal Channels
D-Company
Narco-Terror Convergence
The Hawala System
Crypto
Chapter Five – Blazing a Trail: The Afghan Drug Tracking Pipeline
The Northern Route
The Balkan Route
The Southern Route
Chapter Six – The Modern Narcotics Economy
Opium’s Effect on the Agricultural Economy
Environmental Impacts on the Opium Economy
The Vicious Cycle of Insecurity and Agricultural Decline
Opium Market Volatility and the Afghan economy
COVID-19 and the resurgence of the Opium Economy
The Symbiotic Relationship of Warlords and Opium
The Lure and Viability of the Drug Tracking Economy
Opium Tracking as a Franchise Industry
Insurgent Groups – The Entrepreneurs of the Opium Industry
Severing the Link
Threats on the Horizon
Chapter Seven – Afghanistan’s Collapse and the Future of Counternarcotics
Bibliography