American Valor Quarterly Issue 2 - Spring 2008 | Page 36

that, there’s going to be no reason for them to switch unless we
go in there and force them to do so. And that’s where we play a
delicate game. The harder we fight the opium industry, the harder
it is to, at the same time, maintain stability in some parts of the
country, because some of the people who are supporting us now
are going to turn against us once they see the poppy industry put
under intense pressure. So we need to play a delicate game where
we stand up the government, the Afghan army, and the Afghan
police so they are strong enough to handle it when we see a
whiplash from those who are making money off the drug trade.
Pell: So it’s a minefield for Karzai as well?

Joe Portnoy/Ame