Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Drugs Seen as Root of Instability in West Africa

Talk about a Lost Continent. When do you remember Africa having any stability?   If you guessed under Colonialization, you are probably right.   Dictators,  Marxism,   Cuban troops,  diamond wars,  drought, famine,   disease.   Fly-blinded natives and children with distended bellies.   Pity-picture-seeking rock stars and aid agencies posing for their publicists.   Africans have endured it all.   Now drugs.

Interpol says regional drug trafficking has been on the rise in the last decade. Analysts say South American drugs destined for Europe are increasingly coming via West Africa because of a crackdown in the United States.
Symptomatic of the problem, though, is the final paragraph that sums up priorities.
Progress in the fight against the drug trade is also being used to reduce other cross-border criminal activity, such as illegal logging, child trafficking, and prostitution.
I know that illegal logging is high on my list. /sarcasm off

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