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.
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. " NY Times
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Someone asked what this means. IMO It means that there are going to be some very rich people in Afghanistan. It also means that the lives of ordinary Afghans will be profoundly changed perhaps for the better.
It does not mean that the US is going to keep a big force in Afghanistan any more than Iraqi oil has had the effect of causing the US to want a permanent large military presence there.
Will American companies want to do business in Afghanistan? Of course they will, but they are going to have a lot of competitiion.
The Afghans should now start worrying about what the nature of their relations with Pakistan and Iran will be in the future. p
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html?no_interstitial
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.
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. " NY Times
--------------------------------------------------------
Someone asked what this means. IMO It means that there are going to be some very rich people in Afghanistan. It also means that the lives of ordinary Afghans will be profoundly changed perhaps for the better.
It does not mean that the US is going to keep a big force in Afghanistan any more than Iraqi oil has had the effect of causing the US to want a permanent large military presence there.
Will American companies want to do business in Afghanistan? Of course they will, but they are going to have a lot of competitiion.
The Afghans should now start worrying about what the nature of their relations with Pakistan and Iran will be in the future. p
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html?no_interstitial
Colonel W. Patrick Lang
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