For in the 1800\u2019s another British army was in Afghanistan in an effort to counter growing Russian influence. Then the face-off between the imperial powers was known as the <\/span>Great Game<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a> <\/span>and it continues to this day.<\/span><\/p>\n Russia\u2019s forces <\/span>withdrew from Afghanistan<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a> <\/span>20 years ago as the Soviet Union began to falter. Little more than ten years later the British were back in Afghanistan as part of a \u2018coalition of the willing\u2019, although this time they weren\u2019t there to counter Russian influence.<\/span><\/p>\n Instead, in the aftermath of 9\/11 they were there to wage a \u201cWar on Terror\u201d; at least that\u2019s the official line repeated by the corporate media.<\/span><\/p>\n In reality however, Coalition forces were there to help re-establish the drugs trade. All the talk about fighting terror is a smokescreen to conceal the real reason for the invasion and continued occupation.<\/span><\/p>\n When the Taliban took power in 1996 the world powers took little interest in Afghanistan. In July 2000 that changed when the ruling Taliban outlawed the cultivation of opium poppies as a sin against Islam. At the time Afghanistan was the source of nearly 80% of the world\u2019s heroin.<\/span><\/p>\n By May 2001 the Taliban\u2019s decree on poppies had taken effect. In Helmand Province, the former heartland of Afghanistan\u2019s poppy production, there were virtually none to be seen. A rare <\/span>victory in the War on Drugs<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span> <\/a><\/span>had been achieved. <\/span><\/p>\n Or so it seemed. <\/span><\/p>\n Less than six months later Coalition forces were in Afghanistan as part of \u201cOperation Enduring Freedom\u201d, a noble sounding title that concealed the real reason for the Taliban\u2019s overthrow.<\/span><\/p>\n The following year <\/span>opium poppy cultivation was back<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a> <\/span>in full swing and by 2007 record levels of production had been reached.<\/span><\/p>\n So when Queen Elizabeth II pays tribute to her troops just remember what they are actually fighting for, because history is repeating itself in more ways than one.<\/span><\/p>\n This is not the first time Britain has fought a war over drugs. In fact under Queen Victoria Britain fought two wars to ensure the continued production and consumption of narcotics.<\/span><\/p>\n The first and second <\/span>Opium Wars<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a> <\/span>were fought after the British allowed opium from colonial India to be smuggled into China, in defiance of Chinese prohibition laws.<\/span><\/p>\n The Chinese lost both wars, which ultimately led to the <\/span>Boxer Rebellion<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n So as Queen Elizabeth II pays tribute to British troops she continues an old tradition: giving the official seal of approval to Western involvement in the drugs trade. Although of course, no one will say as much but that is what Western forces are in Afghanistan for. <\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s also no coincidence that Helmand Province has seen some of the hardest fighting and where British forces have their biggest base. For Helmand is the very heartland of Afghanistan\u2019s poppy production and <\/span><\/strong><\/span>Camp Bastion<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a> <\/span>is there to ensure it continues. <\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s not just \u2018foreign policy\u2019 however but a lucrative business where vast amounts of money can be made. What\u2019s more none of it need be accounted for, which is why it is so appealing to the West\u2019s ruling elite. Vast amounts of money can be made and used to finance secret \u2018Black Budget\u2019 projects, which needn\u2019t be accounted for or even known about. <\/span><\/p>\n All Queen Elizabeth II has to do is make a few fine sounding noises to cover what is essentially a criminal enterprise. <\/span><\/p>\n Moreover Afghanistan is not just a lucrative criminal enterprise but also the means to undermine opponents. In the 19th century similar methods were used against Imperial China and today it is being used against <\/span>Russia and Iran<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a>, where opium addiction is now a <\/span>serious social problem<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n Nor does it matter that Afghanistan’s drugs also end up on streets in the West. Not only do the elite get to make vast amounts of undeclared wealth, like <\/span>Soma in Huxley’s Brave New World<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a>, the drugs also help subdue potentially troublesome elements with narcosis. So either way the elite benefit. <\/span><\/p>\n So once again history repeats itself and Queen Elizabeth II is playing much the same role as her ancestor Queen Victoria. So when she speaks of a <\/span>\u201cdebt of gratitude\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a> just remember who is actually benefiting and why. <\/span><\/p>\n Also see:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Americans Are Deeply Involved In Afghan Drug Trade<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/tts\/queen2.jpg\")
Afghanistan is the current focus of a British military campaign that harkens back to the past and Queen Elizabeth II probably echoed her ancestor Queen Victoria when she acknowledged her troops sacrifice.<\/span><\/p>\n
![opium poppy cultivation was back<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a> <\/span>in full swing and by 2007 record levels of production had been reached.<\/span><\/p>\nSo when Queen Elizabeth II pays tribute to her troops just remember what they are actually fighting for, because history is repeating itself in more ways than one.<\/span><\/p>\nThis is not the first time Britain has fought a war over drugs. In fact under Queen Victoria Britain fought two wars to ensure the continued production and consumption of narcotics.<\/span><\/p>\nThe first and second <\/span>Opium Wars<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a> <\/span>were fought after the British allowed opium from colonial India to be smuggled into China, in defiance of Chinese prohibition laws.<\/span><\/p>\nThe Chinese lost both wars, which ultimately led to the <\/span>Boxer Rebellion<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\nSo as Queen Elizabeth II pays tribute to British troops she continues an old tradition: giving the official seal of approval to Western involvement in the drugs trade. Although of course, no one will say as much but that is what Western forces are in Afghanistan for. <\/span><\/p>\nIt\u2019s also no coincidence that Helmand Province has seen some of the hardest fighting and where British forces have their biggest base. For Helmand is the very heartland of Afghanistan\u2019s poppy production and <\/span><\/strong><\/span>Camp Bastion<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a> <\/span>is there to ensure it continues. <\/span><\/p>\nIt\u2019s not just \u2018foreign policy\u2019 however but a lucrative business where vast amounts of money can be made. What\u2019s more none of it need be accounted for, which is why it is so appealing to the West\u2019s ruling elite. Vast amounts of money can be made and used to finance secret \u2018Black Budget\u2019 projects, which needn\u2019t be accounted for or even known about. <\/span><\/p>\nAll Queen Elizabeth II has to do is make a few fine sounding noises to cover what is essentially a criminal enterprise. <\/span><\/p>\nMoreover Afghanistan is not just a lucrative criminal enterprise but also the means to undermine opponents. In the 19th century similar methods were used against Imperial China and today it is being used against <\/span>Russia and Iran<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a>, where opium addiction is now a <\/span>serious social problem<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\nNor does it matter that Afghanistan’s drugs also end up on streets in the West. Not only do the elite get to make vast amounts of undeclared wealth, like <\/span>Soma in Huxley’s Brave New World<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a>, the drugs also help subdue potentially troublesome elements with narcosis. So either way the elite benefit. <\/span><\/p>\nSo once again history repeats itself and Queen Elizabeth II is playing much the same role as her ancestor Queen Victoria. So when she speaks of a <\/span>\u201cdebt of gratitude\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a> just remember who is actually benefiting and why. <\/span><\/p>\nAlso see:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nAmericans Are Deeply Involved In Afghan Drug Trade<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nOccupiers involved in drug trade: Afghan minister<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Queen Elizabeth II addressed her subjects on Christmas Day she continued an old tradition and also provided cover for a criminal enterprise. Rixon Stewart explains <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Afghanistan"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/110"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11963"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11963\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24804,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11963\/revisions\/24804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}](\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Afghanistan_opium_poppy_cultivation_1994-2007b.PNG\"){kind=link}