The Armed Services Committee’s hearing on Afghanistan strategy highlighted issues which continue to confront the United States and NATO: an economy, particularly in Southern Afghanistan, that is almost exclusively based on the cultivation of opium poppies, and a complete lack of infrastructure to support other kinds of crops.
We cannot continue to focus solely on a military response to the resurgence of Taliban forces. We have to use our knowledge and resources to try to help build a viable agricultural economy in Afghanistan. That’s the path to a stable government and regional security.