Peters in 2009,
Gretchen Peters [Journalist Who Covers Afghanistan and Pakistan. Author of Seeds of Terror]. “Heroin, The Taliban and the ‘Seeds of Terror.’” NPR’s Fresh Air. Interview by Dave Davies. May 11, 2009. http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=103957098. Accessed January 21, 2010.
DAVIES: But where is the heroin that’s used in America come from if not from the opium in Afghanistan?
Ms. PETERS: The heroin used in the United States generally comes from Latin America. So there were points in recent history, as recently as the 1980s when about 40 percent of the heroin sold in U.S. streets came from Pakistan and Afghanistan. That’s no longer true. However, I have heard reports that the amount of Afghan heroin being sold in the United States is on the increase. But it’s very, very incremental. To me, what’s the bigger issue is that insurgent groups who are fighting against U.S. troops in Afghanistan are using money that they get from the drugs trade to attack our soldiers. Every time a U.S. soldier dies in an IED attack in Afghanistan there’s an extremely good chance that opium money paid for that IED.
What worries me more is that al-Qaida also appears to be profiting from the drugs trade, which means the next time, God-forbid, they launch an attack on the United States there’s a very good chance the drug money will pay for that attack.
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The warrants in this card are nearly non-existent: he even states that opium sale in the US (from Afghanistan) is much lower than it has been historically.
Its also not comparative at all; Saudi Petrodollars are much more prolific in financing terrorism (read: 9/11) than some little plant.
But how do we also know what is going over there? I mean besides troops. Like wepons or tanks. How do we know what is going over there and if it will be enough?!
I think that by posting this evidence here ensures that it can never be used effectively in a round.
Actually, Peters has a lot of great warrants in the book itself and if you are running the opium arg, she is necessary to make the proper links and warrants. Peters does not have a clear impact coming out of seeds of terror but if you look around you will find both domestic and international impacts to opium arg.