US Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan

[Spoo]

Wow

This is really big time news.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/wo...o_interstitial

Spoo

[Spoo]

I see this as a game changer.

Granted, it won't happen overnight

• In Iraq, huge oil reserves have not kept Sunnis from fighting Shiites
• In Nigeria, huge oil reserves haven't brought stability
• The Chinese are already in Afghanistan at a copper mine.

But, maybe, just maybe, there is one saving grace here.
I hate to put it in these terms, but here goes..

Karzai speaks English.

Spoo

[abhijit]

By the time we see peace in that region, it might be cheaper to mine from asteroids in space.

[dilettante]

Game changer? This is nothing new. Those minerals have been known about for a very long time, but the problem is they are not easy to get to and exploit or others would have long ago.

About three years ago this was brought up as potential propaganda for keeping a war going over there, tongue in cheek at the time.

[Spoo]

Well, ok, so I got a little over-excited.

My initial reaction was.. wow, this puts them on the map,
something tangible, something more than just poppies.

But I've sobered up.
You guys are right.

[abhijit]

Aren't poppies more profitable, considering they're a renewable resource?

[Shaggy Hiker]

And opium addiction never seems to go out of style.

[abhijit]

There's always pharma companies who need it.

[FunkyDexter]

Discovery of resources in a third world country rarely benefits the inhabitants of that country. They're not set up to expoit the resource themselves so first world companies move in and the profits go elsewhere. There's some benefit from increased employment but that's not usually significant enough to increase stability.

[abhijit]

Discovery of resources in a third world country rarely benefits the inhabitants of that country. They're not set up to expoit the resource themselves so first world companies move in and the profits go elsewhere. There's some benefit from increased employment but that's not usually significant enough to increase stability.

By inhabitants if you mean the general population, I agree.
The inhabitants as in the elected politicians do get benefited.