Navigating Corruption and Degradations in Afghanistan

In this episode, Michael speaks with Kevin Ofchus - a former Supervisory Special Agent with the U.S. DEA and is now CEO of Host Nation Perspectives of Southwest Asia, as well as Associate Fellow at Narrative Strategies.  His projects have covered a wide range of areas focused on countering Afghan insurgency and violent extremism via intelligence and counterintelligence, threat finance, counterterrorism, rule of law initiatives, and post-conflict stabilization.

This is the first part of a two-part series with Kevin.

Kevin discusses how he got into this field and the importance of building strong tribal affiliations in order to create an environment that supports the rule of law.  We also discuss the international community's approach to separating drug trafficking as a law enforcement initiative and insurgency as another, as well as the potential implications of this decision.  We delve into the challenges of managing the situation in Afghanistan, including issues of corruption, lack of clean water, and the current relationship between Afghanistan and the Taliban.  Lastly, we examine the U.S. embassy's role in the Afghan stabilization program and explore the concept of ghost soldiers.

Key topics: 

• Insurgencies and trafficking in Afghanistan
• Geopolitical relationships of Afghanistan
• American involvement + exodus in Afghanistan

Views expressed in this material are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rigaku Analytical Devices.

Listen and subscribe on your favorite podcast player:

Spotify

Apple Podcasts

To make sure you never miss an episode of The Opioid Matrix, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the website, or your favorite podcast player here: https://plinkhq.com/i/1625927161?to=page