Counternarcotics: Lessons from the U.S. Experience in Afghanistan, New America DC

Counternarcotics: Lessons from the U.S. Experience in Afghanistan
Event

Afghanistan’s drug trade presents a vexing challenge for policy makers in what has become America’s longest war. Despite the U.S. spending approximately $8.6 billion on counternarcotics in Afghanistan since 2002, the country is the world’s largest opium producer and opium poppy is the country’s largest cash crop. In a new lessons learned report, Counternarcotics: Lessons from the U.S. Experience in Afghanistan, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction examines counternarcotics efforts in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2017, providing lessons and recommendations for the U.S. government.

New America welcomes John F. Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), for the launch of the new SIGAR report. New America also welcomes to discuss the report and counternarcotics efforts in Afghanistan, Ambassador Ronald Neumann (ret.), President of the American Academy of Diplomacy and former U.S. Ambassador to Algeria, Bahrain, and Afghanistan; Harold D. “Doug” Wankel, former Chief of Operations and Chief of Intelligence for the Drug Enforcement Administration andformer Director of the Kabul Counter Narcotics Office, U.S. Embassy Kabul; and Kate Bateman, Project Lead for the SIGAR counternarcotics report.

Join the conversation online using #SIGARand following @NewAmericaISP.
Keynote Address:

John F. Sopko
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction
Panelists:
Ambassador Ronald Neumann (Ret.)
President, American Academy of Diplomacy
Former U.S. Ambassador to Algeria, Bahrain, and Afghanistan

Harold D. “Doug” Wankel
Former Chief of Operations, Drug Enforcement Administration
Former Chief of Intelligence, Drug Enforcement Administration
Former Director, Kabul Counter Narcotics Office of U.S. Embassy Kabul (2004-2007)

Kate Bateman
Project Lead, Lessons Learned Program, SIGAR
Moderator:
Peter Bergen, @peterbergencnn
Vice President, New America

FULL ARCHIVE