Afghanistan’s international reputation has long been influenced by the opium trade, which is frequently blamed for conflict, corruption, and the fragility of the state. However, Poppies, Politics, and Power by James Tharin Bradford adopts a surprisingly nuanced stance, looking at opium not just as a destructive force but also as a lens through which to view Afghanistan’s intricate relationship with state-building and international diplomacy. The book, which covers a century of history, exposes reductionist narratives and shows how drug control laws have frequently made the problems they were intended to tackle worse.

Moreover, Bradford illustrates how prohibitionist tactics were frequently more about political legitimacy than true reform by following Afghanistan’s opium policy from King Amanullah’s modernizing attempts in the 1920s through the drug crackdowns of the Cold War. He highlights Afghanistan’s admission to the League of Nations in 1934, the United States’ purchases of opium during the war, and the Badakhshan prohibition drive in 1958 as examples of the uneasy relationship between foreign pressure and domestic governance. Furthermore, Afghan drug policy was significantly reshaped by the United States, especially during the Nixon administration, frequently with unexpected results.

Consequently, Bradford makes a strong case........

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