U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan
The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials.
The previously unknown deposits — including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium — are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe.
An internal Pentagon memo, for example, states that Afghanistan could become the “Saudi Arabia of lithium,” a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for laptops and BlackBerrys.
New York Times.
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$Trillions$ in minerals! Naw we ain't 'never' leaving that place. We ain't about to walk out, and let the Taliban or the natives become a first world power with all that glittering stuff that's laying about.
Yeah this looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship as Rick said in "Casablanca". A real frigging 'close' friendship,...least till the goods run out.
Get this part.
"The Afghan government and President Hamid Karzai were recently briefed about this discovery by American officials."
Put another way,...
Hey dummies, if you can take ya noses out of the poppy/heroin fields for a second looks like we got to re-write a few treaties.
We just found a shitload of 'our' gems in your country.
...sign here.
Kinda reminds me of that movie "Avatar". Only this time we don't have to go to another planet to suck up the goodies.
Hey don't get me wrong. I love the Stars'n Stripes like crazy. I just have this problem with screwing over weaker innocent countries is all.
We need to take out Al-Qaeda,...all of them.
They did 9/11 after all. Toss in them Taliban head chopper maniacs to be on the safe side. Point blank nail'em.
Then go home.
3 comments:
The tricky bit is making sure there's enough fuel around to power all the mining gizmos. Extraction machinery like that behemoth above doesn't run on just a thimble full of diesel ya know.
The other tricky bit is keeping away all the Al Qaeda enthusiasts who'll no doubt be inspired by our continued presence there. Looks like years and years of fun to come.
Paying off Karzai and his pals for access to cheap rocks and cheaper labor should be the easy part.
Uncle, this has been in the news lately but speculated for some years, it was thought to be the reason for the soviet invasion.
Realistically, the demonstrated abilities of the Afghan male consist of poppy farming, wife beating and sodomizing their male children (bacha bazi).
So they will need a partner to develop these resources.
Known contenders:
Russia. Not likely due to recent history and we don't need them controlling more of the world's resources.
The House of Saud. Hopefully not this scum either.
China. Well they will sure turn a blind eye toward the local practices. Realpolitik -capitalist style.
That leaves only two decent prospects for any semblance of equitable treatment of the natives; The U.S. and Europe.
That is -if- the local warlords don't start a civil war for dominance of the spoils --very likely.
"Take up the White Man's burden--
Send forth the best ye breed--
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild--
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child.
"Take up the White Man's burden--
In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times made plain
To seek another's profit,
And work another's gain."
R. Kipling, 1899
"History repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second as farce."
K. Marx, 1852
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