[treehau5]

Utilising drugs to pay for secret wars around the world Drugs are now your global policy, now you police the globe

Drug money is used to rig elections and train brutal corporate sponsored dictators around the world

- Serj Tankian

(on another note, I am happy this is the second time I have quoted System of a Down on HN and it was 100% pertinent to the discussion)

[Senji]

The US doesn't "need" drug money to finance brutal dictators. It's currency is now backed by its military might. It can print as much as it wants and if you even think of trading OIL in another currency they invade and liberate your ass.

While it sounds good, it's pretty bullshit to say the war on drugs is about financing dictators.

It's fair to say that the CIA does have pet opium projects, with US ground troops playing guards for Afghan farmers. But that's a different thing.

[razakel]

>While it sounds good, it's pretty bullshit to say the war on drugs is about financing dictators.

You're missing the point. Drug sales can be monopolized by the powers that be to generate off-the-books revenue streams. This can then finance any questionable activity they'd prefer not to be held accountable for.

This exact scenario has happened before - see the Iran-Contra affair.

[Senji]

While it might have happened. It doesn't need to anymore. Seeing as how Billions of dollars can just up and disappear from the DoD's accounting books and noone has been held accountable.

[vixen99]

its currency

[razakel]

>System of a Down

It's almost like a band that literally exists to raise awareness of the Armenian genocide are actually quite politically astute.