We're fighting a moral war, the worst kind. We are trying to make a final end of the Taleban, kill or capture Osama Bin Laden, stop Afghanistan from becoming the world's leading cultivator of opium, and establish a liberal democracy there, all at the same time. Which is stupid, will never work, and will cost us no end of cash.

Now if we buy out the Afghan crop of opium at a higher price than their usual contacts offer them, we could probably gain the near-unconditional support of the Afghans, remove nearly all support for the Taleban, and be able to set up whatever system of government we want as long as we keep paying up. Sell on the opium at a remove to dealers, or better still legalise heroin but keep it a state monopoly, and we'll be able to recoup the costs and make a considerable profit on top. If we keep state control of the heroin business we'll be able to keep the supply pure, cut down on illnesses relating to drug usage, and cut down on drug-related crime.

Old-style colonialism and a win-wn situation for both Afghanistan and Britain, if only we'd drop our moral objections to drugs.