Michael Yon writing in National Review about Afghanistan
Hooked: The drugs which fuel the Taliban.
By Michael Yon
A reverse symbiosis is at work: Those who benefit most from the opium/heroin trades also benefit most from a destabilized Afghanistan, because a stable country with functioning government systems, reliable security forces, and a framework of laws is a bad climate for the drug trade. Conversely, farmers growing crops such as cotton and beans benefit from a stable government climate, which affords the opportunity to think beyond the next crop cycle. In order to make agriculture a more successful business venture, farmers need a stable government as a partner. But since the interests of poppy farmers and narco-kings are in aggressive opposition to any plan to stabilize Afghanistan, this partnership is not even in the talking stages.
Listeners of Pundit Review Radio were already aware of this, because Michael told us something quite similar back on August 13. To listen to that interview click here.
To listen to Michael’s many other appearances on Pundit Review Radio, check out our archives.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:42 am
Bill Roggio has been talking about how Afghanistan is starting to lose the fight with the Taliban because of the withdrawal of Pakistani forces from Western Pakistan. Might be an interesting addition to this dialog.
September 14th, 2006 at 10:55 pm
Pierre,
Bill Roggio is one of our favorites. We interviewed him live from Kabul back in June,
http://www.punditreview.com/2006/06/05/blackfive-and-bill-roggio-live-from-kabul-afghanistan/
If that link doesn’t work, check our milblogger archives out. Thanks.
Kevin
September 16th, 2006 at 8:52 am
Michael has been catching flak lately (especially from some milbloggers - see comments on BlackFive) for his criticism of the U.S. lack of follow through on earlier successes in Afganistan.
I’ll admit to having similar negative reaction to some of his earlier complaints, because they tend to give support to the idiots on the left. But Michael is on the ground, often in the boonies, not sitting in some protected enclave. We need good reporters with military credibility and we need straight reporting. Maybe it will wake of the administration before it’s too late.
September 16th, 2006 at 10:26 am
capitano,
Have we become so partisan that a guy like Mike Yon gets criticized for calling them as he see’s them? Are the accusing him of ebing a secret member of the moonbat left? Please. That is pathetic. When he was reporting from Iraq, those same people were lauding his “independent” thinking, and crediting his firsthand reporting. Michael is doing the same thing now, the only difference is that he doen’t reach the conclusion they want to hear. I admire and respect Michael because he calls it as he sees it. He has no agenda other than that. How many others can say the same?
Kevin
September 16th, 2006 at 11:49 am
Kevin:
Yes we have become that partisan. For every liberal who hates every thing Bush does, there is a conservative that would question Hilary Clinton’s motives if tomorrow she cured cancer. Both sides are so blinded by hatred of the other side that anyone who occasionally has a thought that doesn’t fall in lock step with a certain view is out to help the enemy.
But the good thing is that the vast majority of us are right smack dab in the middle and can actually be objective over issues.
That said, not sure Capataino really meant to disparage Michael Yon Pyle. I think he ended by saying it was a good thing Yon is objective.
September 16th, 2006 at 2:27 pm
Yeah, I do think it’s a good thing Michael is in the field doing straight reporting. I’ve made (small) contributions to help cover his expenses and I’m on his email list.
My comment was to point out that he’s catching hell from some of his former supporters. I can understand the negative reaction (as I said, I was disappointed myself at first). But I also read his first-hand accounts with photos of the poppy fields. We need to know what’s going on.
Unfortunately, Kevin is right that some are so partisan they can’t accept his criticism. It’s too bad, because we need the truth.
Fortunately, he also has plenty of defenders. See this link.
September 16th, 2006 at 5:03 pm
Good comments. I didn’t think capitano was bashing Michael, simply pointing out that others have no use for dissent from their worldview, a position which I am in complete agreement with.
Kevin
September 16th, 2006 at 5:05 pm
check out this post from our friend John Noonan at Op-For,
http://op-for.com/2006/09/iraq_and_afghanistan_escalatin.html
Kevin
September 20th, 2006 at 8:37 am
thanks for the mention Kevin.
When Yon talks on Afghanistan and Iraq, it pays to listen. The military art is a language, one that’s Greek to most MSM reporters. Yon is fluent.
Although I did have to bust his balls a little for “reverse symbiosis,” heh.