U.S. policies of drug eradication in Afghanistan have not only failed to end the opium trade, but they’ve also undermined the goals of the war on terror. By creating numerous perverse unintended consequences, the U.S. interdiction efforts have strengthened the Taliban insurgency and undercut the broader goals of the occupation.

Christopher J. Coyne is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, and Co-Editor of The Independent Review.
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Abigail R. Hall is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, and an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Tampa.
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Scott Andrew Burns is an associate professor of economics at Southeastern Louisiana University in the Department of Management and Business Administration.
AfghanistanDefense and Foreign PolicyTerrorism and Homeland Security
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