Welcome to Sierra Leone with a Jihad flavor! China will not care and will do business with the Talibs as we watch our debt skyrocket
Posted on 06/13/2010 6:27:46 PM PDT by americanophile
WASHINGTON — 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 Blackberries.
The vast scale of Afghanistan’s mineral wealth was discovered by a small team of Pentagon officials and American geologists. The Afghan government and President Hamid Karzai were recently briefed, American officials said.
While it could take many years to develop a mining industry, the potential is so great that officials and executives in the industry believe it could attract heavy investment even before mines are profitable, providing the possibility of jobs that could distract from generations of war.
“There is stunning potential here,” Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of the United States Central Command, said in an interview on Saturday. “There are a lot of ifs, of course, but I think potentially it is hugely significant.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The stunner for libs and progressives is to tell them that everything they have, everything they eat has either been produced on a farm or mined.
It’s fun to watch the name calling begin within 10-20 seconds. Every time.
Oops, my bad, apparently there is a tiny 40 mile strip together, but it’s mainly under the control of the Pakis. At least that’s what my Chinese GM just told me...;)
China may take over control of that area if the mineral rights can be secured...
I have to disagree.
There is no way we can logically cede that territory back the USSR redux.
The Soviets didn’t implode symbolicly. They literally were starved of cash.
They had attempted to build a pipeline from Iran to USSR and our support of the Mujahadeen was part of the strategy that eventually broke them.
With the new trillions in resources, we are definitely not going anywhere. The Chinese control much of those resources and with this newfound resource for say lithium, we can now diversify suppliers.
Guess who else we are not going to enable the completion of the “String of Pearls” strategy?
Yep, China. We cannot give it for another very good reason.
We currently have Iran surrounded and can base from any country that touches the border of Iran.
We can cause them trouble for years and influence unrest until the people of Iran are free.
Pretty cool, huh?
I would bet she isn’t too happy about this.
Quite the converse...
The US funded at great expense an aerial geophysical survey of the country...but China got in and signed the contracts....was posted here on FR some months ago.
I didn’t mention Russia, but I do know that President Karzai is reported to be talking with Pakistan and with the Taliban (to incorporate the Taliban in his government) and that he’s getting tired of the U.S. and he doesn’t think the U.S. can help any longer in Afghanistan.
That’s not me that saying that, but the reports coming out of Afghanistan as to what President Karzai is doing ...
“Russian mineralogists discovered a major deposit of gallium arsenide in a mountain North of Kabul. Within 6 months the Red Army was inside Afghanistan “helping the regime”.
To the best of my knowledge, gallium arsenide does not occur naturally.
The Russkies might have discovered some major source of a gallium ore, but it almost certainly wasn’t gallium arsenide.
They have a short common border...high up in the mountains.
it’s already spent... 110 times over
Just remember that Afghanistan is closer to China than to the US and that they have a more forceful president than what we have.
What is the source for this information?
A large amount of this survey work went on before the Obama administration. Things were actually quieter there then than now.
That applies the NYT article. I'm wondering about the source for the post that the time of the Russians in Afghanistan was the same time that they mined for gallium arsenide. I'd not encountered that before and don't see it online anywhere. A google search for "gallium arsenide afghanistan russians" brings up as the #1 web page this very thread from 3 hours ago.
I know you didn’t mention Russia but who is going to control that area specifically?
Pakistan can’t do it nor can they really lend support of any meaningful value.
Karzai is sick of Barry but mostly he is bluster and this whole BS co-op with Pakistan is a smoke screen.
And yes, that is my WAG.
Aflithiumstan.
I am sure the Taliban will get a charge out of that.
I know you didn’t mention Russia but who is going to control that area specifically?
Pakistan can’t do it nor can they really lend support of any meaningful value.
Well, from my understanding and what I was reading, yes... it is going to be Pakistan. I mean, it was Pakistan that set up the Taliban in the first place. The Taliban is an instrument of Pakistan and not Russia. I think they can very well be the major power broker in that area of the world.
Also, I think there will be the involvement of China, too, as China is working closely with Pakistan and against India. And with Afghanistan having a common border with China, China working closely with Pakistan -- yes, China will be involved in the mix, too.
So, if you're talking about help in the development of these natural resources, that will be something done in cooperation with China and Pakistan.
I understand the baloney narrative of Pakistan. It isn’t feasible.
They are barely hanging on to their “Nuclear” arsenal and keeping their ranks at bay, who are Taliban sympathizers.
They just don’t have the resources, the manpower, the will or, or, or... the money.
Russia has all that and is more like a Faustian Genie than Pakistan could ever hope to be.
No, sorry, Pakistan can only influence the border and just beyond but that’s it.
There is some China work going on but they are way behind the Russians and the Russians have something more valuable to offer.
Shared resources and money from allowing a pipeline to be built and secured. It’s kind of like a jobs program.
Pakistan has nothing.
BTW, we have been desperate to find alternative supplier countries as China has become to big for their own britches and Krapganistan can act as both a new supplier and a foil, to China.
We already have, with interest in the form of inflation. This is what happens when you have an economy built on credit.
Welcome to Sierra Leone with a Jihad flavor! China will not care and will do business with the Talibs as we watch our debt skyrocket
I think this must have been something else. Gallium arsenide is a semiconductor, but apparently it does not occur as a natural mineral.
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