Although the United States clearly could have done a better job of managing its departure from Afghanistan, the tragedy playing out this month has been 20 years in the making. From the outset, America and its allies embraced – and never reconsidered – a top-down state-building strategy that was always destined to fail. Commentary by Daron AcemogluMore
A law is currently being debated in Morocco that would legalise the cultivation and export of medicinal cannabis. For many small farmers, this would bring considerable advantages. But the bill is controversial. By Cathrin SchaerMore
Headlines about Iran usually focus on its nuclear deal with the global powers, its controversial missile programme, not to mention international sanctions. The deep-rooted domestic challenges that the country faces get less attention. One of them is a drastic rise in narcotics consumption in the past ten years. By Mitra ShahraniMore
Afghanistanʹs drug economy provides a regular income to rural communities in this extremely unstable country. With eighty-five percent of villages in the countryʹs south cultivating opium poppies, yield fluctuations have more to do with the weather than government policy. By Janet KursaweMore
Anti-narcotics laws and their enforcement tend to be tough in Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, however, drug use is not in decline, despite attempts by President Widodo to crack down on durg dealers and cartels. By Edith KoesoemawiriaMore
That the younger generation in northern Morocco are still demonstrating is hardly surprising. Lacking in infrastructure, the Rif region has been economically disadvantaged for years. The area is simply beset with problems. An analysis by Susanne KaiserMore
In a number of Arab countries, people have launched campaigns to have hashish legalised. So far, their efforts have met with little success: there is still stiff opposition from both conservative politicians and religious circles. By Reda GhoneimMore
Lebanon is suffering from the worst economic crisis in its history, which has led to a dramatic shortage of supplies. Electricity and petrol are hard to come by. By Diana Hodali
