"The dichotomy of attitudes towards Russia in the U.S. administration does not make things easy for us," said Igor Yurgens, an economic policy adviser to Medvedev, at a Nov. 5 lecture in London hosted by the International Institute of Strategic Studies. "It is a problem." (...)Putting historical wrongs, real and perceived, to rest is especially important because there are issues where Washington's and Moscow's interests converge, none bigger than Afghanistan. (...)
Stabilizing Afghanistan is even more crucial. While Russia likes to see the U.S. in hot water, this is one case where it doesn't want the pot to boil over. Surging poppy production in Afghanistan feeds the heroin addiction that is tearing at Russian society, and drug trafficking in Central Asia threatens Russia's "soft underbelly," which it frets about constantly.
There may be even more at stake for Russia than the U.S. in Afghanistan, Yurgens believes. If the Taliban takes control, it threatens political stability in Central Asia and raises the specter of Pakistani nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands, he said.
"Do you think," Yurgens added, "this is a birthday present for Russia?"
Let's stop blowing hot air shall we?
The Taliban were in control of Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001 after they overthrew a foreign-backed puppet regime. Back then, there was no threat to Central Asia or Pakistan. Russia had no problem. Things were quite stable and the country was not being torn apart by internal strife and corruption like today
As a matter of fact, the Taliban did a much better job in controlling drugs in Afghanistan. When Opium was banned in 2000, product plummeted by 99.999% (from over 10'000 acres to about a dozen acres).
If you just look at the history, the Taliban did a much better job that would coincide with Russia's interests than US/NATO. What an irony?
What a remarkable thing ... that's the first piece of praise I've ever read for the Taliban's policies. Completely insane.
Anyways, I am quoting Yurgens here - so I think you have a bone to pick with the Kremlin on that one.
" Completely insane "
The datas given by Joao are right !
The fact is also that Iran border guards are suffering much more from drug traffickers since years .
But this is a very old story !
When i was a child , my teacher took us to the movies to watch a film with Yul Brunner and Angie Dickinson called " Operation Opium " ( In French ) - " Poppy is also a flower " made by the UNESCO about drug trafficking in the begenning 70's .
The action took place in A-sta, and Iran .
But James' comment is also right, Daniel. If João has a problem with this idea, he should complain to the Kremlin -- they apparently know less than João about Russia's interests. (And João: a few quick googles suggest your data are wrong. Would you care to provide a link?)
Don't trust everything you see in movies, even if they're made by UNESCO.
Don't believe all the movies you watch, Daniel, even if they come from UNESCO.
And James' remark is right. João (whose data doesn't seem to agree with what I have been able to google -- would you care to provide a link, João?) apparently knows more about Russia's interest than the Kremlin does, since the point that he describes as 'hot air' comes from a Medvedev advisor. A pity João had to be so emotional.