Taking a broader view – war in Iraq

Terrorism is about money and power. Take, for example, Taliban suicide bombers. If martyrdom is such a quick way to paradise, why haven’t the generals used it to get to paradise themselves? I weep for the poor cannon fodder who get brainwashed into losing their lives so hopelessly, just as I weep for the victims both public and military. But the issue is really about money, the money the generals want, and not about religion.  As usual, that is just an excuse.

A few people in Afghanistan get rich from drugs – heroin in particular.  These are the warlords, with absolute power, the power of life and death over their serfs.  The international community wants to stop them getting rich, and they don’t want to be stopped. We'd have been in there and either stopped production or managed production of opioids for medicinal use.  The logical response by these warlords is to distract the international community with bombings, acts of terrorism, pretty much anything that dilutes the amount of focus we can bring to bear on stopping the illegal drugs trade.
So why are we fighting this war in a far-away country?
Well I live in beautiful England. There are a few places where drug dealers push heroin on street corners, and a few more where it is possible to find heroin if you know where to look, but on the whole we’ve stopped it and I’m extremely grateful. If a drug dealer set up on my street, I would expect the enforcement agency (police, criminal justice system) to stop them. If it was the next town, the chances of drugs reaching my neighbours’ kids and of people desperate for the money for a fix breaking into my house are still high – I want it stopped. Afghanistan may be the other side of the world but that's still too close for comfort.
We are also at risk of terrorism. Lawlessness breeds lawlessness, and Britain’s open borders policy which has brought us so much good in the past continues to benefit us, but also leaves us open to potential terrorists finding their way into the soft underbelly of our great country. But we’re also at risk of a much more serious danger – widespread use of opiates that take away people’s will to strive for anything in life turning them into indolent dreamers, or worse into violent criminals desperate for the money to fund their habits.
I commend the brave soldiers who protect me, my family, my neighbours, my friends and colleagues, you readers.  I just wish the politicians and leaders were a little clearer about why we're in there and how we will know that we've done a good job - "winning" or "defeating the taliban" isn't good enough.