Philobiblon

Anatole Kaletsky in the Times today (always worth reading) joins the dots between Helmand province and gang violence in Britain: Helmand province and the streets of Manchester et al are linked by drugs – and specifically by the illegality of drugs. He concludes:

All these observations point to a simple conclusion: simple, though not easy. The global war against drugs is in contradiction to the war against violent crime at home and the war against terrorism internationally. Legalising, or at least decriminalising, drugs would, not on its own, end terrorism or gang violence — and it is no substitute for long-term measures to promote development abroad or improve education at home. But a ceasefire in the war against drugs would at least give peace a chance — not only in Afghanistan, but also in the streets of Britain.