the illegal trade in drugs, arms, intellectual property, people, and money is booming. Like the war on terrorism, the fight to control these illicit markets pits governments against agile, stateless, and resourceful networks empowered by globalization. Governments will continue to lose these wars until they adopt new strategies to deal with a larger, unprecedented struggle that now shapes the world as much as confrontations between nation-states once did.

Consider another viewpoint, though a bit grim one. After the Cold War, all the funding was withdrawn from Afghanistan. The old elite was basically eradicated and new elite appeared - warlords, some of which trading with the US government. Ironically enough, this provides a certain amount of stability in the region. So, governments are probably not fighting the crime, but rather legalizing it (or in Afghanistan's case, the warlords are basically the government, the elites).

Also, Pakistan is quoted to be a Yugoslavia, but with a nuclear "taste". Pakistan is comprised of many ethnicities, each protecting their own kinsmen. Some critics claim that Pakistan exists only for the sake of the Pakistani army and no local tribe actually needs a Pakistani government or it's protection.

Be careful! Is it classified?