World Apr 20 Could the fix for Afghanistan’s opium economy be in your pantry? In the mood for some saffron tea or saffron-infused asparagus salad? Kimberly Jung, a Harvard Business School student and former Army officer, hopes so. By Larisa Epatko
World Sep 29 Watch ‘Raw Opium’ Explores Mixed Results of Global Efforts to Stem Trafficking In "Raw Opium," filmmakers Robert Lang and Peter Findlay travel to the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan to document the illicit global trade of heroin's raw material. This excerpt is part of The Economist Film Project series of independently produced…
World Sep 30 Afghanistan’s Opium Production Drops, but Will It Last? Opium production in Afghanistan has been halved, but with supply dwindling, prices might increase and entice farmers to start growing the illicit crop again. That's the word from the latest U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime report on the issue. By Larisa Epatko
Politics Dec 23 Watch News Wrap: Plan to Close Gitmo Hits New Delays In other news, President Obama's plan to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay has run into new hurdles, and the State Department said in a report that U.S. efforts to stop the opium trade in Afghanistan is failing.
Oct 22 Afghan Opium’s ‘Devastating’ Impact Outlined in U.N. Report By Larisa Epatko A new U.N. report describes Afghanistan as producing 92 percent of the world's opium market, feeding 15 million addicts and funding Taliban insurgents and terrorist organizations. Continue reading
Oct 21 Watch Other News: Wells Fargo Concerns Drive Market Sell-off In other news, worries about the health of Wells Fargo triggered a late day sell-off on Wall Street, and former Afghan foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah agreed to the presidential runoff set for November. Continue watching
Aug 12 Marines Storm Taliban Stronghold Ahead of Election Four hundred U.S. Marines stormed into the Taliban stronghold of Dahaneh in southern Afghanistan early Wednesday morning in a bid to secure the area ahead of next week's presidential election. Continue reading
Jun 22 Watch Author Examines Drug Trade, Afghan Insurgency Author and former ABC news producer Gretchen Peters talks about her book about the drug trade in Afghanistan and Pakistan and how it is fueling the insurgency. Continue watching
Mar 18 Watch Afghan Daily Life Offers New Opportunities, Old Problems Nearly eight years after the ouster of the Taliban in Afghanistan, military operations and political shifts have changed the daily lives of the Afghan people in unexpected ways. Margaret Warner reports on day-to-day life, the drug trade and corruption in… Continue watching