Final Word from Wednesday, October 24, 2018
One of the reasons given by ex-Foreign Min. Lubomír Zaorálek for wanting to reassess Czech and Nato participation in the 17-year war in Afghanistan is that the Kabul government is largely corrupt and that the country is living more and more from poppy production. Pres. Miloš Zeman also talked smack about Afghanistan at the end of Aug., when he told Czech diplomats that it is one of the richest countries in the world, because it is the largest producer of opium. The problem, he said, is that the profit is going to the terrorists. Foreign Min. Tomáš Petříček said that if soldiers pulled out, one of the effects would be a greater spread of opium and heroin. Yet Afghan poppy cultivation is already at record levels, thanks apparently to the military tactics being employed. The statistics suggest that instead of waging a war against drugs by getting "bogged down" in Afghanistan (to use Zaorálek's term), Czechs and their allies are significantly benefiting the global heroin trade. [ Czech Republic ČSSD Nato ]
Glossary of difficult words
to reassess - to consider or assess again, in the light of new or different factors;
to talk smack - (a play on words in this context) to speak aggressively about something; "smack" is also a slang term for heroin;
to be/get bogged down - to be prevented from making progress in a task or activity; to be or become stuck in mud or wet ground.