'OPIUM': WAR AND ECONOMIC UPHEAVAL DRIVE THE DRUG TRADE

A review of "Opium: Uncovering the Politics of the Poppy," in which
author Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy shows how war and the economic disruption it
creates have historically driven the traffic in opium, and how that
dynamic continues to fuel the opium economy in Afghanistan.

'Opium: Uncovering the Politics of the Poppy'

by Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy

Harvard University Press, 256 pp, $27.95

In 1971, President Nixon declared drugs were "public enemy No. 1 " and
launched an aggressive policy known as the War on Drugs. Billions of
dollars and decades later, Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy argues that these
efforts are not working.

This will not be news to most people. But why aren't our efforts more
effective, and what could we be doing differently? These are the
questions he tackles in "Opium."

Chouvy outlines the history of opium trafficking, beginning in ancient
times when it was likely traded on the Silk Road. After eras in which
Turkey, China and Southeast Asia played dominant roles in the market,
recent data indicate a 93 percent of the world's poppy supply is grown
in Afghanistan.

While packed with meticulous details, the book is a bit hard to follow
due to unfamiliar names, political factions and geographic locations.
Chouvy achieves more clarity in his analysis of why the opium trade
continues to thrive, explaining the strong correlation between war and
drug economies.

"War has turned opium production into a source of funds for military
commanders and warlords faced with financial shortages," he writes,
"and into a coping mechanism for farmers confronted with a new
war-driven market and with war-induced physical and economic
disruption."

He also explains how the United States has sometimes hampered its own
efforts to suppress the drug trade, claiming the CIA has cooperated
with international drug lords to gain influence and
intelligence.

Chouvy encourages us to re-evaluate our drug policy to focus less on
the trade itself and more on its root causes, arguing that not until
Afghanistan enjoys economic growth and a stable government will it be
possible to curtail the drug trade.