Opium Poppy Cultivation in Afghanistan Appears to be Declining—At a Cost.

Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of opium. Its production grew during the years when US and coalition forces were present, despite the US spending more than $8 billion to eradicate the crop. Production grew during the Taliban’s years of insurgency, despite its public opposition to opium production because narcotics are contrary to Islam, and perhaps because the militant group reportedly imposed “taxes” on poppy farmers and others involved in the trade as a way of funding its operations.

As Taliban representatives negotiated over the drawdown of Western forces with, first, the Trump Administration and then, later, Biden representatives, they promised to end opium production in Afghanistan once they regained power. Even though observers say the Taliban have broken many of its other pledges—on matters like the role of women in society and tolerance for diversity of opinion— the “poppy pledge” may be one they’re serious about trying to keep.

The Mayor of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Says the Capital City Only Has Enough Food to Last Until September.

Sri Lanka, formerly known to the West as Ceylon, was once seen as an economic and democratic success. It had a rapidly growing middle class, and one of the highest median incomes in South Asia. After the three-decade-long civil war ended in 2009, Sri Lanka had many willing lenders and high international support, and the country's foreign reserves rose to over $6 billion. But a series of economic crises have rocked the daily lives of citizens in recent months, and driven them to despair and anger.

The US Energy Information Agency Forecasts that US Energy Consumption Will Increase Through 2050, and Petroleum and Liquid Fuels will Remain the Most-Consumed Source of Energy.

President Biden pledged at the United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Reaching that goal while also meeting the world’s increasing energy needs will be difficult unless we’re willing to work with producers to explore innovations with some of our traditional sources. One interesting possibility comes from Canada, the number one source of US oil and petroleum liquid fuel imports.

Canada Supplies Nearly Twice as Much Petroleum and Petroleum Liquids to the US as Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Colombia Combined.

Russia’s war on Ukraine has prompted many countries, including the US, to look for alternative energy sources. But Americans often forget that our largest foreign supplier of oil is right next door—Canada— and it has the capacity and willingness to increase production.