The Senlis Council has maintained an operational base in the southern provinces of Afghanistan since 2004. Initially aimed at providing a firsthand view of the burgeoning opium trade, this local presence in Kandahar and Helmand has enabled us to develop an expertise in many of the issues associated with poppy cultivation.
Building upon this foundation, The Senlis Council broadened its examination of other key theatres within the War on Terror, launching a research platform in Somalia – the first outside of Afghanistan – in March 2008. On the ground research in May 2008 a third conflict zone – Iraq – led to this report, and prompted The Senlis Council to consider an alternative approach to global security issues. In this report we offer a Situation Report (SITREP) on Iraq, as well as the initial findings from a series of interviews conducted in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia, and an examination of what we believe the study of the three conflicts tells us about current global security policy. more...

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Chronic Failures in the War on Terror - Fast Track Policy for Somalia and Somaliland (April 2008)

Afghan and Somali Views on the United States Presidential Elections 2008 (April 2008)
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Op-Ed

A Losing War - by Romesh Bhattacharji, former counter-narcotics commissioner of India

7 August2008

PARIS, 27 AUGUST 2008

Afghanistan’s opium crisis will never be solved unless the international community takes urgent measures to prevent illegal drug production in the country’s turbulent southern provinces, said The Senlis Council on Wednesday.

The overall reduction in poppy cultivation announced by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in its Afghanistan Opium Survey 2008 masks the fact that the drugs trade is now concentrated in seven of Afghanistan’s least secure provinces in the south of the country. It is clear now more than ever that the opium trade is feeding the Taliban insurgency.
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Winning over Angry Young Men is key to enduring stability in Iraq (26 June 2008)

Paris conference: Donors must use market forces to tackle Afghan opium crisis (12 June 2008)
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Interviews

  Norine MacDonald QC talks to CNN about the War on Terror, Iraq and Afghanistan (3 July 2008)

  Paul Burton talks to Newsweek about the bombing of Kabul's Indian Embassy (8 July 2008)

  Norine MacDonald QC talks to Peace Magazine about the Poppy for Medicine project (July 2008)

  Norine MacDonald QC Talks to CBS about the opium poppy crisis in Afghanistan. CBS refers to The Senlis Council's "Poppy For Medicine" initiative that would help reduce the number of Afghan farmers becoming sympathetic to the Taliban. (25 June 2008)