[url]http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65D0OH20100614?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a49:g43:r1:c0.305556:b34868480:z0[/url]

[url]http://www.dailyfinance.com/?icid=AIMPro[/url]

over 1 trillion $ in mineral deposits to be raped and pillaged by the developed world.

Re: Afghanistan to be raped

they wont get rich from their own natural resources just like all the countries in Africa haven't. Sad but true.

Re: Afghanistan to be raped

[URL]http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/06/no-the-military-didnt-just-discover-an-afghan-mineral-motherlode/[/URL]

[B][SIZE=3]No, the U.S. Didn’t Just ‘Discover’ a $1T Afghan Motherlode[/SIZE][/B]

[LEFT][COLOR=#000000] [/COLOR][/LEFT] [quote] Despite what you may read this morning, the U.S. military did not just “discover” a trillion dollars’ worth of precious minerals in Afghanistan. [I]The New York Times[/I] today proclaimed that Afghanistan is apparently poised to become “[URL="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html?hp"]the Saudi Arabia of lithium[/URL]” — a metal used to produce gadgets like iPods and laptops. The discovery will also, according to Pentagon documents quoted by the [I] Times[/I], fundamentally transform the country’s opium-reliant economy. But the military (and [URL="http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/08/dr-book-club-afghanistans-high-tech-rock-collectors/"]observers of the military[/URL]) have known about Afghanistan’s mineral riches for years. The U.S. Geological Survey and the Navy concluded in a 2007 report that “Afghanistan has [URL="http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1819"]significant amounts of undiscovered nonfuel mineral resources[/URL],” including ”large quantities of accessible iron and copper [and] abundant deposits of colored stones and gemstones, including emerald, ruby [and] sapphire.” Not to mention that the $1 trillion figure is — at best — a guesstimate. None of the earlier U.S military reports on Afghan’s mineral riches cite that amount. And it might be prudent to be wary of any data coming out of Afghanistan’s own Mines Ministry, which “has long been considered one of the country’s most corrupt government departments,” [I][URL="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704905604575027673196231564.html"]The Wall Street Journal [/URL][/I]reports.

And the timing of the “discovery” seems just a little too convenient. As [URL="http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/06/14/say_what_afghanistan_has_1_trillion_in_untapped_mineral_resources"]Blake Hounshell at [I]Foreign Policy[/I][/URL] notes, the Obama administration is struggling to combat the perception that the Afghan campaign has “made little discernible progress,” despite thousands of additional troops and billions of extra dollars. Still, Pentagon officials are touting the find as a potential economic game-changer — and one that could end decades of conflict. But whether it’s oil or [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coltan"]coltan[/URL], rich pockets of resources are always a mixed blessing. Just ask children in Congo, home to 80 percent of the world’s coltan supply, who [URL="http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/07/the-playstation/"]were forced to mine for the precious metal[/URL] that was later used to manufacture tech gadgets. [/quote][LEFT][COLOR=#000000] [/COLOR][/LEFT]

This sounds like the same thing as the new yorker article i read the other month which looks like it is now online here:

[URL]http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/03/22/100322fa_fact_wright[/URL]

It is going to be so hard to economically create the infrastructure to efficiently mine and haul away and process this type of thing that in bolivia it will probably never be viable, probably even more so in a place like afghanistan.

Re: Afghanistan to be raped

And ironically, the New York Times comes out with an article titled "Setbacks Cloud Afghan Pullout Plans" after these resources are discovered. Just makes you wonder if it's the "setbacks" or the trillion dollars in resources that will delay our "leave" from the region.

Re: Afghanistan to be raped

lol @ "raped". You goddamn tool.

in b4 "No Blood 4 Lithium"

Re: Afghanistan to be raped

Interesting article, talks a bit about everything including subject at hand.

[URL]http://www.alternet.org/story/147217/[/URL]