[Dissertation] Coercion, Cash-Crops and Culture: From Insurgency to Proto-State in Asia's Opium Belt

I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................1
A. IMPORTANCE................................................................................................2
B. PROBLEMS AND HYPOTHESES ...............................................................3
C. LITERATURE REVIEW ...............................................................................5
1. State-building Literature.....................................................................5
2. States within States Literature ...........................................................7
3. Causes of Civil War Literature ..........................................................9
D. METHODS AND SOURCES........ ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.
E. THESIS OVERVIEW AND CONCLUSION..............................................14
II. THE GOLDEN CRESCENT: AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN..............................15
A. INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................15
B. BACKGROUND ON THE GOLDEN CRESCENT OPIUM TRADE.....16
1. Geography and Climate ....................................................................16
2. Historical Backdrop of Opium and Conflict ...................................17
C. PROTO-STATE ENABLERS ......................................................................22
1. The Durand Line, Ethno-nationalism and Colonial Legacy..........22
2. Tribal Factors and Feudalism...........................................................26
D. CASE STUDY: THE TALIBAN ..................................................................33
1. Territory .............................................................................................33
2. Coercive Activities .............................................................................35
a. War making.............................................................................35
b. State making............................................................................36
c. Protection ................................................................................36
d. Extraction................................................................................37
3. Identity and Legitimacy ....................................................................38
4. Political Goals and other Motivations..............................................40
5. Organization and Structure ..............................................................41
E. CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................43
III. THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE: BURMA...................................................................45
A. INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................45
B. BACKGROUND ON THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE OPIUM TRADE .....47
1. Geography and Climate ....................................................................47
2. Historic Backdrop of Opium and Conflict ......................................47
C. PROTO-STATE ENABLERS ......................................................................53
1. Borders and Colonial Legacy............................................................53
2. Ethno-nationalism and Communism ...............................................55
3. Feudalism and Cultural Factors.......................................................64
D. CASE STUDY: THE UNITED WA STATE PARTY ................................66
1. Territory .............................................................................................66
2. Coercive Activities .............................................................................68
a. War Making.............................................................................68
viii
b. State Making ...........................................................................69
c. Protection ................................................................................69
d. Extraction................................................................................69
3. Identity and Legitimacy ....................................................................71
4. Political Goals and other Motivations..............................................72
5. Organization and Structure ..............................................................73
E. CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................74
IV. PROTO-STATES COMPARED..............................................................................77
A. INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................77
B. MACRO-LEVEL OVERVIEW ...................................................................78
C. MICRO-LEVEL: THE TALIBAN AND UWSA/UWSP...........................81
D. CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................85
V. CONCLUSION ..........................................................................................................87
A. SUMMARY....................................................................................................87
B. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS..............................................................89
C. AREAS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH.......................................................90
LIST OF REFERENCES......................................................................................................93
INITIAL DISTRIBUTION LIST.......................................................................................103