So what is the solution to the evolving pomegranate problem? How will we prevent it from becoming a revenue stream for the Taliban? Will we shoot pomegranate dealers on sight?
The problem is that we have tried everything – from special operations and air raids on high value targets, and now to poppy eradication – instead of classical counterinsurgency with enough troops to accomplish the mission.
—Herschel Smith, Captain’s Journal. He is right on, in that. I’ve been saying that for years, now. I’m sure he would agree with this: there is no secret here. It’s not difficult. We know what to do. We just choose not to. What gives?
This post was written by...
Joshua Foust – author of 1771 posts on Registan.net.
Joshua Foust is a Fellow at the American Security Project and the author of Afghanistan Journal: Selections from Registan.net. His research focuses primarily on Central and South Asia. Joshua is a correspondent for The Atlantic and a columnist for PBS Need to Know. Joshua appears regularly on the BBC World News, Aljazeera, and international public radio. Joshua is also a regular contributor to Foreign Policy’s AfPak Channel, and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, Reuters, and the Christian Science Monitor. Follow him on twitter: @joshuafoust