Part 4/6:
For years, particularly under the Obama administration, U.S. policy toward Afghanistan’s drug trade was aimed at suppression rather than facilitation. During those eight years, American strategy largely involved supporting eradication programs and counter-narcotics operations that targeted poppy cultivation.
This approach flew in the face of the common misconception that the Taliban or local insurgents profited directly from drug sales during their reigns. Instead, it suggests that the problem of drug production persisted due to systemic agrarian and economic issues, with international policies attempting to combat it through eradication rather than addressing underlying socio-economic drivers.