Via the Voice of America:
A leading U.S. newspaper reports U.S. geologists have discovered nearly one trillion dollars’ worth of untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan.
The New York Times says U.S. officials believe the vast veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold, lithium, and niobium could “fundamentally alter” the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war. U.S. officials told the newspaper Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the “most important mining centers in the world.”
Lithium is a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for cell phones and laptops. Niobium is a soft metal used in producing superconducting steel.
This will be hugely beneficial for someone (someday – when the infrastructure to exploit these resources exists) but I’d bet that Afghanistan is more likely to go the way of Africa where immense resources and poverty tend to run on parallel tracks. One thing is certain though – we aren’t leaving any time soon.
Update:
Similar thoughts at Outside the Beltway:
So, instead of bringing the country together and leading to an era of prosperity unlike anything Afghanistan has ever seen in it’s history, this discovery could serve to tear the country apart even further as factions fight over the wealth buried underneath them. Even if that doesn’t happen, however, the history of natural resources exploitation in the third world does not bode well for the Afghan people.
Melissa Clouthier posts her thoughts over at Right Wing News:
Well, unless America is willing to go colonial and impose civilization on these folks, it will mean more infighting and civil war.
Finally, head over to Naked Capitalism for the most pessimistic take on the whole matter.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates Urges Patience on Afghanistan
Via the Voice of America: “This is not some kind of a production program, or something, where you are going to meet these particular objectives this week and next week,”...
Obama to Approve Nearly 40,000 More Troops for Afghanistan
CBS News sources say Gen. McChrystal will get his troops: Tonight, after months of conferences with top advisors, President Obama has settled on a new strategy for Afghanistan. CBS News...
DoD: Afghanistan Airstrike Struck Legitimate Targets
Journalists rushed to their computers and cameras to report the deaths of innocent construction workers in Afghanistan. However, they’re not quite as eager to report the fact that the story...
Mitt Romney Worth About $200 Million
Dude is loaded: Romney and his wife, Ann, hold assets worth between $190 million and $250 million, his advisers said. The campaign released details of his wealth Monday in a...
The Future of Afghanistan
There’s an interesting article in the PakTribune that goes overboard in characterizing it as a failed war but does make some valid points: A new Afghan government would be a...
