Matt Molnar
2010-06-14, 01:39 AM
NY Times:
U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html)
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 BlackBerrys. [Full Article (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html)]
This is bananas, and probably not as good news as it should be. Could make things more complicated, lead to more fighting. I say we let Russia, China and Iran invade Afghanistan and fight the Taliban and each other trying to claim this stuff while we sneak out the back door.
U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html)
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 BlackBerrys. [Full Article (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html)]
This is bananas, and probably not as good news as it should be. Could make things more complicated, lead to more fighting. I say we let Russia, China and Iran invade Afghanistan and fight the Taliban and each other trying to claim this stuff while we sneak out the back door.