Most Americans view the Taliban and al Qaeda as radical extremists, but this perspective fails to explain their resurgence along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Eight years post-invasion, these groups are reportedly better armed and funded than ever. The narrative shifts when considering their primary income source: the opium trade, which generates half a billion dollars annually. The author reveals their operations, detailing the journey from vast poppy fields in southern Afghanistan to heroin labs controlled by Taliban commanders, and from drug convoys equipped with Stinger missiles to money launderers in Karachi and Dubai. This account is grounded in extensive interviews with Taliban fighters, smugglers, and intelligence agents, supported by intelligence reports from U.S. officials concerned about the potential for a more catastrophic attack than 9/11, financed by drug profits. The text argues for the necessity of severing the link between terrorism and drug revenues to effectively combat these groups. Ultimately, the focus is on establishing a new economy for Afghanistan to disrupt the cycle of violence and extremism that has persisted in the region for decades.
Gretchen N Peterson Książki
The second edition of a bestseller, this book focuses on map design theory and technique rather than map design tools. It highlights new tools and their capabilities through visual demonstrations and explanations of new techniques such as hexagonal binning, big data point density maps, scale dependent design considerations, 3D building modeling, and so on. The new edition will have a much heavier focus on digital cartography and its best practices. It has also been redesigned so that it can be used as a textbook with study questions and an end-of-chapter exercise.