tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17515505.post4361776098549534548..comments2023-04-03T11:14:16.633+01:00Comments on Maverecon - Willem Buiter's Blog: Those whom the gods wish to destroy…Willem H. Buiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02706673292089745848noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17515505.post-30180503017491034462007-08-31T07:13:00.000+01:002007-08-31T07:13:00.000+01:00The Senlis Council's proposal would only have a hi...The Senlis Council's proposal would only have a highly limited impact on the key problem in Afghanistan: the continued profitability of growing opium poppies for illegal purposes. This gives the Taliban both a role as protector/extortionist and a tax base. Clearly, if any poppy cultivation is diverted from the illegal markets to the legal medical-use markets, that's a good thing. I don't believe, however, that the Senlis proposal would either materially weaken the Taliban or the incentive to grow illegal opium poppies.Willem H. Buiterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02706673292089745848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17515505.post-27438503545892193142007-08-31T05:48:00.000+01:002007-08-31T05:48:00.000+01:00What do you think of the Senlis Council proposal, ...What do you think of the Senlis Council proposal, to set up presently a few experimental areas where the farmer's production would be bought by government and used for the production of medical supply. Senlis is big, well funded, established across Europe, has been established for years with 4 locations in Afghanistan one of them at Kandahar, has 70 employees there 40 of the Afghan, and its spokesman on this issue is a woman who is a lawyer Corine MacDonald with 2 years residence at Kandahar. They have presented their idea to Afghan audiences on many occasions. Of course, all of this is what they say about themselves, but I would not expect a group of that experience and support to be spouting complete nonsense.Grampshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03041010316869963869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17515505.post-18120901737727027502007-08-30T16:00:00.000+01:002007-08-30T16:00:00.000+01:00Most recently we've been told that performance-enh...Most recently we've been told that performance-enhancing drugs are the new menace to society.<BR/><BR/>Last year we had congressional hearings of professional athletes over this nation-threatening development.<BR/><BR/>Fortunately the Afghanis are just growing poppies. If they were making 'juice', we would be all over them ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com