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06/13/2010 10:07:35 PM · #1 |
| the most important mining discovery in decades. the possibilities for change are mind-boggling... |
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06/13/2010 10:13:33 PM · #2 |
| As long as everyone realizes these are Afghan resources not anyone else's. |
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06/13/2010 10:25:13 PM · #3 |
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06/13/2010 10:40:15 PM · #4 |
| Greeeeeaaaat. Here we go again... |
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06/13/2010 11:00:51 PM · #5 |
| Oh @#*t ! That will really make it worth fighting over! |
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06/13/2010 11:34:07 PM · #6 |
As a geologist and mineral collector, I can tell you that there have been fabulous specimens coming out of Afghanistan for many years.
This isn't really a big surprise, but the scale is certainly impressive! |
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06/14/2010 06:42:44 AM · #7 |
| I see western governments modifying their stance as to how long they want to stay in Afghanistan. We should see the hypocrits come out very soon claiming Afghanistan to be the next great territory to explore. blah blah blah.... |
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06/14/2010 08:48:11 AM · #8 |
| "We've been fighting to free the Afghans from the Taliban for 9 years. Oh, and by the way, there's a trillion dollars of minerals under the ground. And we're only finding out about it now. Honest." |
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06/14/2010 09:30:48 AM · #9 |
My first and second reactions to the mineral riches story in Afghanistan cause me to think this is a military ruse. The strategic location of Afghanistan (and Pakistan) is primarily the proposed gas and oil trans-Afghanistan-pipeline route from the Caspian Sea to India and China. The significance of this pipeline is related to Peak Oil and the eventual exhaustion of the Saudi oil fields and the now apparent difficulties of deep sea offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
A military establishment gauges strategic resources in anticipation of potential future conflicts. The "discovery" of significant mineral resources adds a justification and premise to the long war, although it would seem to be subterfuge. |
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06/14/2010 10:08:36 AM · #10 |
Good luck to whoever is going to try to set up commercial / indsutrial mining over there. The Taliban / Al Qaeda will undoubtedly try to and succeed in blowing installations up over and over again.
It's too bad though, since the mining revenues could really help Afghanistan prosper and grow. It would generate much needed funds for health care, education and infrstructure. But, with the pushy warlords and rampant corruption, my guess is that only a very few would profit while the vast majority of the Afghanis would not see any benefits trickle down to them. Also, Afghanistan does not have the funds / specialization to set up large scale mineral ventures, so foreign companies would have to step in with equipment and expertise, which would translate into many profit $$$ leaving the country.
Sadly, I can only see more turmoil coming from this :(
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06/14/2010 10:14:43 AM · #11 |
| As with the colonials in Africa I see the region being exploited and funds flowing out of the country not down to the people that most need the help. |
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06/14/2010 06:04:02 PM · #12 |
Look at this paragraph from the link provided:
From the Pentagon's perspective, recasting old information about the country's hard-to-access mineral reserves as a potentially game-changing bounty — and then handing it to the Times — could ward off slacking resolve in the American public and create a new argument for sticking with the war. It's certainly easier to imagine a stable, democratic endgame for Afghanistan if you've got a trillion dollars in mineral wealth to play with.
Seems the info is old and USGS and private companies have been helping map it for years. Why is it a story now? The above paragraph seems to say it all.
New Info |
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06/14/2010 06:33:58 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by kenskid:
Look at this paragraph from the link provided:
From the Pentagon's perspective, recasting old information about the country's hard-to-access mineral reserves as a potentially game-changing bounty — and then handing it to the Times — could ward off slacking resolve in the American public and create a new argument for sticking with the war. It's certainly easier to imagine a stable, democratic endgame for Afghanistan if you've got a trillion dollars in mineral wealth to play with.
Seems the info is old and USGS and private companies have been helping map it for years. Why is it a story now? The above paragraph seems to say it all.
New Info |
Except the mineral wealth belongs to the Afghans, not the Americans (or anyone else for that matter). |
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06/14/2010 07:29:57 PM · #14 |
No kidding. But the pentagon is using it to gain support for the war.
Btw....this stuff will never be mined profitably.
Originally posted by cpanaioti:
Originally posted by kenskid:
Look at this paragraph from the link provided:
From the Pentagon's perspective, recasting old information about the country's hard-to-access mineral reserves as a potentially game-changing bounty — and then handing it to the Times — could ward off slacking resolve in the American public and create a new argument for sticking with the war. It's certainly easier to imagine a stable, democratic endgame for Afghanistan if you've got a trillion dollars in mineral wealth to play with.
Seems the info is old and USGS and private companies have been helping map it for years. Why is it a story now? The above paragraph seems to say it all.
New Info |
Except the mineral wealth belongs to the Afghans, not the Americans (or anyone else for that matter). |
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