On Aug. 27, Russia’s Sputnik news service called Pino Arlacchi, former Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (1997-2001) one of the most renowned experts in the fight against the mafia and drug trafficking. Speaking from Italy, Arlacchi said:
“After suffering a complete failure, the West has lost voice and vote in Afghanistan. Public opinion seems not to have noticed yet — here they continue to speak as if they had not just suffered a defeat in Afghanistan — but the ball is already on the other side of the field. Everything will now depend on what China and Russia decide in the first place, as well as Pakistan, Iran, India and other Asian nations.”
