In both Tajikistan and Afghanistan, profits from the opium trade fund warring factions. Standard methods to curb drug plant cultivation fail in the absence of a functioning state to implement them. As long as the warlords need money to buy weapons, peasants in the Golden Crescent will continue to grow opium

You have reached a premium content area of Transitions. To read this entire article please login if you are already a Transitions subscriber.

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe today for access to:
Full access to the website, including premium articles videos, country reports and searchable archives (containing over 25,000 articles).

You can subscribe here to gain access to the entire website.