Mitali Chordia

Nip it in the Bud

Mitali Chordia shares her opinion on the best way to curb
the illicit opium trade along the Golden Crescent
Originally written as an The relationship between drug tracking and terrorism has
opinionated editorial for MOP long existed, and can take many forms depending on the goals
MUN, January 2015. and needs of each party. In Afghanistans poppy fields, a blazing
insurgency meets a thriving opium market. The Taliban- an
organisation which once pronounced opium cultivation un-
islamic when in power, has now been known to participate in
the tacit trade. In 2013, it was speculated that the insurgent and
its many splinter groups in the region were earning over $200
million annually from the drug trade. The funds generated
from the smuggling stint were undoubtedly used to fund their
many operations, but I digress.

This article is not about the Taliban or any terrorist group, for
that matter. It is about the humble farmers who cultivate
opium poppy as a means of livelihood. These are the people
who grow the crop, not out of addiction or greed, but out of
compulsion. Needless to say, the value of opium is much higher
than any other crop available to Afghan farmers. Portable and
long-lasting, the high value per kilo of opium makes it
attractive to families who fear they may need to flee, or see
fields of conventional crops destroyed by fighting. For some, it
has become the only way to cover the basic expenses that come
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The Golden Crescent and
Golden Triangle of Opium Trade.
Mitali Chordia
with having to support a large family (average household size is
eight).
Although many farmers know that the government has banned
production of the drug, they continue to cultivate it as ocials
and religious leaders are always eager to turn a blind eye in
exchange for a share of the income from their harvest. Further,
the rapidly increasing demand for opium is slowly paving the
way for many women to work in the same setting as men.
It is evident that Afghanistans economy is largely dependent
on opium. Opium poppy is cultivated on about four per cent of
the arable land, but brings in revenue equivalent to over thirty
five per cent on the countrys gross national product (GNP).
When the livelihood of so many people is dependent on this
crop, a stringent ban on its production is bound to have long
term repercussions.
This situation is not unique to Afghanistan. Countries of the
Golden Triangle (Myanmar, Thailand and Laos) also face a
similar predicament. Opium production in the Golden Triangle
fuels an illicit drugs trade worth $16.3 billion. Myanmar
accounts for a majority of the regions poppy cultivation, with
illicit exports forming upto fifty per cent of the countrys total
outbound trade.
Most of the tribals growing the opium poppy in Myanmar live
below the poverty line. Here too, opium farming is seen
primarily as a way to make easy money and pay for daily needs.
Lack of government will to take action against organised narco-
tracking groups and a frivolous approach against money
laundering has made the farmers resilient in their routine of
poppy cultivation. Crop substitution programmes have been
implemented in the region, but these have not shown much
success. Farmers do not earn as much money growing wheat, so
they go back to poppy.
Looking at the big picture, one notices that if the UNODC
was to implement a successful programme to control opium
trade, it would first need to support the farmers. It needs to
find a sustainable way to provide cultivators with alternative
sources of livelihood and keep track of their activities on a long
term basis to ensure that they do not fall prey to old habit.
Further, the need for protection of the farmers from the
clutches of those making money out of their crop- crooked
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ocials, armed groups and investors who fund the large poppy
plantations- cannot be overstated.

The most ecient way of putting a stop to the narcotic trade is

by nipping it in the bud. And what better way to do this than
by literally nipping the poppy from which it is made?

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Back to Square One
The Rise of a Sharing Economy
Sharing is to ownership what the iPod is to the 8-track, what solar power is to
the coal mine.
-Mark Levine, The New York Times
Originally written for Publicit,
an academic journal for the
Department of Commerce
(Marketing Management) MOP
Vaishnav College for Women,
Chennai
Mitali Chordia
The key element of society is its undoubtedly social nature.
Humans inherently love to socialise. This stems from our
primal desire to help each other live happy lives. Many
biologists have conducted studies to prove that this helpful
nature is innately present among all of us. The purpose of this
article is to highlight the role that helpfulness and indeed
sharing plays in the marketplace. What started o as a barter
system involving the necessary element of coinciding wants
was solved by a monetary system that facilitated easy exchange
and convertibility. Yet, the marketer maintained his priorities-
to give the consumer something of value. While, in the barter
system, both parties had to be equally ecient in promoting
their trade, the creation of money quickly shifted the need for
marketing onto the seller. Yes, for some time it looked like the
consumers were stuck in a captive market, but this period was
short lived.
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Evolution of technology and better working practices had

created a glut where supply far exceeded demand. Now,
marketers had to create this demand from somewhere. They
learnt to aggressively market their product, but when this too
yielded an insucient result, they moved on to moulding the
product to the consumer. Innovation came about. Wherever
you looked, you saw new products, new services. The consumer
was spoilt for choice!

Again, novel promotion and techniques meant to bait the

buyer proved utilitarian. Over time, disruptive products such as
the iPod, smartphones and ultrasound changed the face of their
industries by creating a market for themselves. To this day,
disruptive innovation is among the key aims of many
organisations.

In all of these situations, except perhaps the one about

bartering, the ball was shifted from the producer to the
consumer. But these days, we are seeing the ball move from the
hands of one consumer to another in what could simply be
called sharing.

We are in the midst of a sharing economy. All of us might

remember sharing at some point in our lives. Whether it was
those Pokmon cards we traded as children, or that movie we
lent to a friend or even those textbooks we have swapped
with students from other departments. This, in essence, is what
a sharing economy entails. Globalisation and information
technology have facilitated the sharing of information and
resources with our peers. This has paved the way for
collaborative consumption- a class of economic arrangements
in which participants share access to products and services,
rather than having individual ownership.

Collaborative Consumption is in stark contrast from the

standard model of a consumerist society which has ownership
at its heart. In todays hyper-connected world, an abundance of
assets along with the relative aordability of almost anything,
online consumer portals and close-knit social media have all
coupled in the aftermath of the global recession of 2008 to
ensure that collaborative consumption flourishes.

In this model, owners rent out something they are not using,
such as a car, house or bicycle to a stranger using these peer-to-
peer services. The companies typically have an eBay-style
rating or review system so that people on both sides of the

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transaction can trust each other. With the popularity of these

services, many people wouldnt feel the need to buy when they
can rent from others. A classic example of the disruptive nature
of collaborative consumption is seen in the automobile
industry. The average car costs Rs. 23,000 a month to run. Yet,
that car sits idle for 23 hours a day. It is clear then, that the cost
of owning a car tends to outweigh its benefits. This is the
mindset that has led many to adopt the use of ride-sharing
companies such as Uber and Ola. In a large country like ours
where parking and fuel prices are a huge issue, the erstwhile
prestige associated with owning ones own vehicle is beginning
to dwindle. As a result, many families have either sold their
second car or not bought one choosing to favour organised cab
services such as these.

An example closer to home would be that of iRentShare, a

community-based marketplace that allows one to rent/share
things like cameras, computers, tablets and travelling gear,
among others, by combining the concept of sharing with
renting. So far, the portal has witnessed over 500 sign-ups and
up to 150 unique visitors per day with a monthly transaction
volume of about 20-25 (July 2013).

These ser vices have grown at such a rate that

PriceWaterhouseCoopers estimates the global sharing
economy to be worth $15 billion today, a figure that is projected
to hit $335 billion by 2025. But the question of its full-fledged
adoption in India remains a mystery. The fact remains that
collaborative consumption- especially in India- is still in its
infancy. While it is catching on in the West, like most other
models, it needs to be modified to fit the Indian business
landscape. However, this is a system that has the power to
disrupt outdated modes of business, help us jump over wasteful
forms of hyper-consumption and teach us to make the fullest
use of what we have.

Thus, we as a species have come a full circle. From bartering to

using an intermediary and back again. Such is the way of the
world.

References: Rachel Botsman: The case for collaborative consumption

www.financialexpress.com/article/personal-finance/hand-in-hand-
sharing-economy/56123/

articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-07-31/news/
65074200_1_car-ownership-uber-and-ola-app-based-cab-services

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Its All About the Money

A look into the various sources of funding by the ISIS

Originally written for WCC One thing that sets the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham
MUN, March 2015. (ISIS) apart from its counterparts is that it has fast become
self-sucient in terms of revenue. What started out as a group
of extremists receiving Saudi funding in order to spread Sunni
Islam across Shiite Iraq has turned into one of the most pro
table yet appalling ventures that the Saudis could have possibly
invested in.

At present, there is no credible evidence that the Saudi

government is financially supporting ISIS. Riyadh now views
the group as a terrorist organisation that poses a direct threat
to the kingdoms security. A tad too late, are they not?

Although private donors were believed to be the most

significant source of funding towards the Islamic State,

the value of such donations is but a drop in the ocean of the

groups independent sources of income. is income is generated
through activities such as smuggling, extortion, counterfeiting
and bank robberies.

According to a September 2014 report by a Raqqa-based

activist, despite being strict proponents and imposers of Sharia
law, ISIS leaders have no qualms about growing and tracking
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Guns and oil are the sustainers of the
ISIS economy
Mitali Chordia
illicit drugs across inter- national borders. Cannabis grown in
and around the de-facto capital is smuggled out through the
porous Turkish-Syrian borders. There have also been reports of
taxes imposed upon civilians in State-controlled areas. These
include taxes on electricity, hygiene services and use of the
telephone network, as well as heavy customs on imported and
exported goods.
Another interesting source of income: Internet cafes, which
RBSS calls one of the most pro table trades for ISIS. The
number of internet cafs in Raqqa has increased from 20 to
500 since the ISIS came to power quite surprising for an
otherwise oppressive regime. However, the reason behind this
mushroom- ing of internet cafs is not the Islamic States
undying love for free speech, but rather its unending search for
funds. Heavy surveillance of internet cafs and censorship of
the internet are basic features here.
The Newsweek has reported that the ISIS is earning between
$1.5 million to $3.6 million a day from black market oil and fuel
sales. Oil is extracted from fields and processed in refineries in
the northern Kirkuk region of Iraq, and is sold at about half
the market price. The ISIS uses primitive ways of extracting
crude oil to achieve this end.
With such diverse sources of funding, the Islamic State appears
to be a multi-headed hydra; cut o one source and there always
seem to be more. In order to combat the threat of the ISIS, the
global community needs to adopt a multi-pronged approach
where each source of funding is curbed simultaneously.
Delivering an instant blow to the group will provide serious
strategic advantage to the coalition, which can now focus on
cutting the remaining burnt heads of the hydra that was.
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The Trojan Times
A humorous look at the eect of media on the Trojan War.
Written as an answer to the
question, What event do you
think in the distant past (before
18th Century AD) would have
been affected differently and
how, if the presence of media
was as much as today?
Mitali Chordia
Around 1200 BCE, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite competed for
a precious golden apple. The apple was to be given to the
fairest of the three. Unable to reach a settlement, Zeus- the
King of Gods proclaimed that the Trojan prince, Paris would
act as judge. This situation could have been avoided if the
ancient greeks had used media the way we do today. A simple
online survey would have established that Aphrodite was the
best looking, Athena- the most intelligent and, Hera- the
epitome of elegance. The three women would have been
content and the following Trojan War could have been avoided.
However, it is hard for one to believe that gods and goddesses
walked among us. So let us, for the sake of simplicity, assume
that the above tale of the apple was simply a metaphor for
discord. We can then assume that Paris eloped with Helen
while her husband was o at war simply because, like so many
before him, the Trojan prince took a fancy for her and managed
to entice her with his good looks. If the impact of media was as
influential as it is today, then rather than having to go to war,
Paris would have been shamed into returning Helen to
Menelaus. Although this would have resulted in two very
broken hearts, it could have avoided a ten year war that
resulted in the death of many valiant heroes.
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But then again, maybe the Trojan War was inevitable. After all,
literature suggests that Zeus wanted to use the War as a means
to depopulate the Earth of his demigod children. A more
religious soul might believe that the will of the lord is supreme.
Let us now assume that for some reason, Agamemnon wages
war against Troy. The Greeks spend the next ten years engaged
in fighting Trojan forces. Finally Odysseus comes up with the
plan of building the wooden horse that has lent its name to a
variety of commercial products and is the subject of many a
popular culture reference. Using subterfuge to attack the
enemy in their own home ground was a smart yet malicious
move on the part of the Grecians. Whether they were heroes
or cowards is a matter for another time. What matters is that,
here also, if the Greeks and Trojans had access to modern
sources of media, the plan would not have been as massive a
success as it was in the Trojan War. Assuming that both parties
had access to free internet, it mildly amuses me to conjure a
scenario where Hermes writes a blog with a beat-by-beat of
each move. He sees through the gift horse and writes a post
titled Please Look the Gift Horse in its Mouth thereby
warning the Paris.

The War goes on a few more years until Helen dies an untimely
death. Both Troy and Greece mourn the loss of a woman whose
face launched a thousand ships.

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