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Source: CNN News: Afghanistan's Curse: Opium http://afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com/2010/02/22/afghanistans-curse-opium/ Summary:  This Article is about different burning of opium in afghanistan. People are trying to burn opium to get rid of it, because to many people get addicted to it and turn it into heroin. It has a terrible affect on there society although it is almost 1/3rd of the countries total GDP. So You can see that they have a problem. They need this product to make money except this product is ruining there society, Reflections: I thought that this was a very interesting article. Except I now realize that Afghanistan has a real problem. They have this way of making money, but it wrecks there society. This article says that they are trying to burn all there opium. My question is if they burn it all, what happens to there GDP, the countries average daily per capita income is already less than $2. Questions: If they get rid of all there opium will there GDP be greatly decreased? Is it possible to get rid of all the opium? Is there a different solution?

Source: Press TV: Iran seizes 400 tons of narcotics http://www.presstv.ir/detail/168770.html Summary: This is an article about how Iran is trying to stop drugs from afghanistan to come through Iran. Iran is the main root for afghanistan to smuggle drugs into europe. There has been a war on drug trade in afghanistan for the last 30 years and it has claimed the lives of 3700 people. Iran has spent 700 million to try to seal its borders from drug smuggling. Reflection: This was a very helpful article to read. I did not know that Iran had big problem with afghanistan. I also that it was insane on how much Iran has spent on there borders and also that this ongoing war has lasted over 30 years. You would think by now there should be some sort of agreement. Questions: What are the relations between Iran in Europe like? How much of afghanistans drug production goes to europe? Have there been any agreements at all between Iran and afghanistan?

http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale(en,,):FQE%3D(K0,None,23)opium+afghanistan++crop:And:FQE%3D(TX,None,22)opium+afghanistan+crop:And:FQE%3D(TX,None,23)opium+afghanistan++crop$&sgHitCountType=None&inPS=true&sort=DateDescend&searchType=BasicSearchForm&tabID=T004&prodId=AONE&searchId=R7&currentPosition=2&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&docId=CJ236030044&docType=IAC What are the effects of opium sales on Afghanistan ? Summary: in 2010 there was a huge dieses that swept over around 50 percent of all the poppy plants. They didn't know exactly what was causing it, they were wanting to blame British and U.S troops, but there was no way to prove anything. They thought it could be bugs but no way of knowing for sure. Reflection: I think that its interesting that there is a HUGE brake out with the plants and around 50% of them were killed and no one knows how?? That seems incredible to me that no one would no how to figure out what happened to them? Questions: 1) Why doesn't anyone know what happened? 2) Is there a reason that we don't know, why this happened? 3) How did this effect the sales? 4) How was this effected money wise? Citation: What are the effects of opium sales on Afghanistan

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/08/photogalleries/afghanistan-pictures/photo2.html Afghan Opium Output at Record High How is the Opium Drug Trade affecting the people of the middle east? Summary: They are saying that the opium sales are getting really bad. Afghanistan farmers are growing 477,000 acres (193,000 hectares) of opium poppies, that is a 17 percent increase from 408,000 acres (165,000 hectares) recorded in 2006. The southern province of Helmand alone, with 253,944 acres (102,770 hectares) of land under cultivation, accounts for more than 50% of the national total. Except for china over 100 years ago, this is the most land that has ever been used for illegal activity. Reflection: I would say that if this is the highest its been on over 100 years, there is a huge issue. I think that its interesting that the first time i heard about this huge issue is because of this project. When there is this big of an issue, everyone should be aware of it. I think that we need to some how get these people to make money some other way, and to find other ways to be stable. Its a hard situation because people even in america will do whatever it takes to survive, and thats what these people have to do. Its sad that this is the only way that they can survive. Questions: 1) why is there so much be sold now? 2) how many people are growing it, not just how much land? 3) how much do they need to sell to survive for a week? 4) how much do they need to sell to survive for a month? Citation: Images, Reza/Getty. "Afghan Opium Output at Record High." National Geographic. N.p., 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 6 Mar. 2011. .

http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/retrieve.do?subjectParam=&sort=DateDescend&tabID=T003&sgCurrentPosition=&subjectAction=&prodId=STOM&searchId=R1&docId=A235289555&currentPosition=1&bucketSubId=&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&docLevel=&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&sgHitCountType=None&qrySerId=Locale(en,,):FQE%3D(ke,None,5)opium:And:FQE%3D(ke,None,11)afghanistan:And:LQE%3D(AC,None,8)fulltext$&inPS=true&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&nav=prev Addicted nation.(CURRENT COMMENT)(Afghanistan as an opium producer)(Brief article) What are the effects of opium sales on Afghanistan Summary: Afghanistan is the worlds largest opium producers. Now they are seeing to have addicts to opium of all ages. The most common is a 28 year old male, married with children but separated from his wife. Parents are giving opium to there children as a pain killer because that have no other choices. Over half a million people don't have access to addiction treatment. The growing of poppy, (opium) is partly increasing because of greater access to irrigation and fertilizers. Families that grow poppy are reluctant to switch to a food crop because it would make them less money. Summary: I think that the issues are getting worse now that parents are starting to give it to there children. THis is creating a whole new generation of addicts. The fact that the people who are already addicted don't have access to a recovery center doesn't help either. Also, having poppy bring in more of an income to families who grow it, It will be almost impossible to make them switch to a food crop. Questions: 1) Why are there not other pain killers for families 2) What are other crops that people could grow to get a good income 3) How many exactly are addicted to opium 4) How many kids under the age of 18 are addicted. Citation: "Addicted nation." America 16 Aug. 2010: 4. Student Edition. Web. 8 Mar. 2011.

Source: Christian Science Monitor: Who is winning Afghanistan war? US officials increasingly disagree. Summary: This article does not exactly relate to my research question but it is a little bit about how we as a country are involved in afghanistan and how it is going. This article thinks that we are really not making much progress in the war. We have taken out quite a few high officials but it really isnt helping our case very much. Then at the end it mentions opium a little bit. It says that they realize there was a decrease in opium this year so what they did is raise the price on it. It also says despite all the hinting at stopping opium farmers will still plant in 2011. Reflection: Although this was not the most helpful article I have found I still got some use out of it. I also thought it was just interesting to see our progress in the war and be able to read up on it. Questions: What are we doing about our status in the war? Do we have any affect on poppy production?

Source: The Washington Post: Myanmar reports progress in opium destruction http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/07/AR2011030700861.html Summary: This article is about how myanmar (the second leading producer of opium in the world next to afghanastan) has been trying to get rid of the drug in there country. In this specific article 15,000 out of there total 50,000 acres of opium had been destroyed. They say that the drug should be eliminated by 2014. Although the US is uncertain about this because in myanmar the governments first priority is to dealing with ethic minority groups.  Reflection: This article was about myanmar not afghanastan which my research question is about. However I got some great information that I believe will be able to help me. This article gave me the amount and percentage of opium in afghanastan which I did not know before and it also told me that the second leader in opium is trying to get rid of it so that could mean more for afghanistan.  Questions: Why is myanmar getting rid of opium? Do they have other exports? What does the UN think about this after dealing with afghanistan? Will they actually be able to get rid of all there opium?

BBC News - Afghan opium poppy crop: Mixed results from drugs war http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12329142 Summary: This article is about the Afghan opium poppy crop. It talks about how the sales seems to be going down, but they think they will go up soon too. Also, According to satellite imaging, poppy growing will spread into provinces that were recently poppy-free. Last year, the price for farmers doubled, but for buyers it stayed the same. As stated, "When you see more conflict, when you see more poverty, you will see more opium cultivation." Helmand and Kandahar are the largest poppy-growing regions in Afghanistan - accounting for more than a third of the world's opium between them. Even these reductions will leave more than 65,000 hectares under cultivation for poppies in Helmand and around 25,000 hectares in Kandahar. Reflection: In this article, it talks a lot about the poppy crop, and if its going up or down. In some ways its going down, but they also suspect it will go up again. I feel bad for these people that they need to grow and sell these drugs, to survive in there culture. Even though the amount being sold might be going down, there is still a huge issue with how large of an amount is still being sold. Questions: 1) What would it take to make it go down 2) What would we need to get rid of it completely 3) Who are the main sellers? 4) Who are the main buyers? why?

Research Question: How does the Mexican drug war affect the government and people of Mexico? Source: Valdez, Avelardo. "Failure to curb drug war exposes Mexico's weakness." Chron: Viewpoints, Outlook. N.p., 26 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. . Summary: More people have lost their lives in the drug war than in the war in Afghanistan; it's obvious that something is amiss here. Although many "famous" drug leaders have been caught, the problem still exists in Mexico. Again, we see that money is an issue; government officials are paid to help the criminals. The weak criminal justice system in Mexico allows for people to use their connections to avoid arrest, conviction, etc. President Calderon started this war even though it's obvious that they are incapable of winning under these circumstances. It may have been a political stunt to win votes for his campaign. The US should spend our money rebuilding the government instead of encouraging the government to become more corrupt. ***rest of info is on sticky note on this page

Source: The Bellingham Herald: Poppies making a strong comeback in Afghanistan Summary:This article was about how farmers were getting angry with the government. The government tried to get farmers to stop producing poppy. They did things like pay people to get rid of it or provide them with other things to do. But in this article there are a few testimonies where the government did not do what they promised to do so now these farmers are going to go back to there old ways and farm poppy again so they can get money. Otherwise they have no way of making money. Reflection: This was a very helpful article for me to read. I was not entirely aware that the government was trying to do things about the poppy production. I thought it was mostly just NATO and other forces. But all in all this was a very helpful article for me to read. It had more interesting statistics and also gave me a better idea of what was going on. Questions: What was the government eradication program? Why was the government not as involved as they said they would be?

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1991283,00.html Can Afghan Farmers Move Beyond Opium? What are the effects of opium sales on Afghanistan? Summary: People are trying really hard to get them to grow other crops but its jut not working. They could make even more money than with the poppy if they just wait the period of time it takes to start a new crop Response: I think that this article shows that its pretty obvious things could change. It is hard to say to people, "stop what your doing and stop making money, but in the long hall you will make more money." I don't even know how many people here in america would take that chance. Questions: 1) what are the main foods that they could grow? 2) Why are those foods so fresh and tasty there? 3) They have the best ground for some of these crops, why aren't they using it? 4) What are all the crops that they could grow that would make them even more of a profit if they just wait? Citation: HAUSLOHNER, ABIGAIL. "Can Afghan Farmers Move Beyond Opium?." TIME. Ed. Kabul. N.p., 24 May 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. .

Lebanon's Hizbullah: the quest for survival World Affairs - By: Adham Saouli Saouli, Adham. "Lebanon's Hizbullah: the quest for survival." World Affairs 166.2 (2003): 71+. Student Edition. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. Summary: This article speaks of the rise of Hizbullah from a small group affiliated with Khomeini regime in Iran to a large Lebanese Shiite militia that was known for its anti-Western stance and for abducting Western hostages. This article speaks of how Hizbullah began in Lebanon in 1982, but was supported mostly by the Iranian government. The article then goes on to talk about how Hizbullah has grown politically since that time. Reflection: I found it interesting how Hizbullah has changed since 1982. I also found it interesting how we see Hizbullah only as a terrorist organization when it is a political group trying to change the government of Lebanon while also a militia who is trying to force Israel to the point of non-existence. Questions: 1. Has Hizbullah gotten any closer to reaching its goal for Lebanon to become an Islamic state? 2. Has Hizbullah's "victory" over Israel encouraged other militant organizations toward fighting larger, oppressive governments? 3. Does Hizbullah have any specific feelings toward the Americans after their invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan?