The Opium of Afghanistan: The Taliban Center of Gravity

Abstract

Control of the opium-driven economy of Afghanistan has allowed the Taliban to endure in a protracted conflict against the United States military. Employment of military force against the Taliban has thus far failed to establish a secure government in Afghanistan or remove the Taliban as a relevant threat. This paper points to the Taliban control of the narco-economy of Afghanistan as the adversary's center of gravity. This illicit activity both exploits the corruption resident in the current government and provides an enduring source of financial sustainment for continued conflict. Initial efforts to curb the opium trade consisted of strictly law enforcement undertakings. This paper will reframe the issue in terms of operational art and explore a military approach to the problem as a potential path to victory.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 03, 2010
Accession Number
ADA525179

Entities

People

  • Matt Ross

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Afghanistan
  • Center Of Gravity
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of State
  • Economic Systems
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Law Enforcement
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • New York
  • Terrorism
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.
  • Systems Analysis and Design