http://www.abc.net.au/rn/breakfast
The UN's World Drug Report for 2009 revealed that while the production of opium dropped worldwide by 19% in 2008, Afghanistan still produces 93% of the world's supply. Despite domestic and international eradication efforts, there are few signs that Afghanistan's dependence on opium is abating. One man who made it his business to find out about the opium trail set off in 2007 for Afghanistan without any contacts at all.
Gregor's book is one of the finest accounts of the complexity of the opium industry in Afghanistan. He manages to capture the interplay between the growing, refinement and trafficking of opium/heroin and the negative effects that the opium industry has on development, governance, corruption and security.
If you desire to know more about Afghanistan and why it is such a challenging foreign policy, development and security environment, then Poppy is a great account.
rbell61 2 years ago