Opium Issue Between Turkey And The US In Nickson Administration

The co-effect of political, economical and cultural factors resulted in the rampant drug problems in the US in 1960s, which attracted attention from the American public and its government. In President Nickson's term, drug problem became a political issue for the first time. The US blamed the illegal production and sale of drug in Turkey for the increase of drug addiction in its home country, therefore, demanded Turkey should stop its opium plantation, which the Turkish was against. The paper elaborates on this issue in an comprehensive, objective and in-depth manner based on the latest documents and others'research achievements.The paper consists of five parts. The first part talks about the background against which the opium issue between the US and Turkey arose. Starting with the opium relations between the two countries, it then introduces the prevalent drug problem in the US in 1960s.The second part is about the opium issue between the two countries in 1969-1971. When Nickson administration took office, it launched the "drug war" in a real sense due to pressure from many parties at home and its own political interest. Measures were taken to eliminate opium from Turkey. However, Demirel administration in Turkey refused to stop opium plantation due to the interest of Turkey and its political interest. The Demirel administration only agreed to reduce the number of states planting opium, and it condemned the American government's practice. The bilateral relationship came to a stalement.The third part discusses the opium relations between the two countries in 1971-1974. First, this part introduced that due to pressure from the US, Erim administraton declared to ban opium plantation, Then, it analyzes the motives of Turkish government behind the ban, the public reaction, America's attitude and the result of this ban in the US, as well as its impact on the medial market and other regions around the world. After this, it introduces the public reaction in Turkey, the reaction of American government and parliament and the final solution of the opium issue after the Turkish government lifted the ban.The fourth part talks about issues concerning drug trafficking from Turkey to the US and issues about Americans serving long-term imprisonment in Turkey for breaking the drug law.The fifth part explains the essential issues of the opium problem between the two countries and its impact on the bilateral relationship, as well as the failure of America's "drug war". It also puts forward the writer's own opinion in solving the opium problem in Afghanistan now.