[Silver]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html?hp

Another complication is that because Afghanistan has never had much heavy industry before, it has little or no history of environmental protection either. “The big question is, can this be developed in a responsible way, in a way that is environmentally and socially responsible?” Mr. Brinkley said. “No one knows how this will work.”

Asking that question immediately flags you as a Palin level (Sarah, not Trig) retard.

I look forward to the US Army providing "support" for all those benevolent mining companies that will soon be all over Afghanistan. I'd also like to welcome the Afghanis as members of the 53rd state.

 

[sanjuro]

Well, even I have to say, no.

 

[kidwoo]

No no!

You've got it all wrong.

While it could take many years to develop a mining industry, the potential is so great that officials and executives in the industry believe it could attract heavy investment even before mines are profitable, providing the possibility of jobs that could distract from generations of war.

*sigh*


Here we go again. China, United States......return to your corner and come out fighting.

 

[eaterofdog]

Christ, even soviet russia knew when to GTFO

 

[Pesqueeb]

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3471711&postcount=302

Just wanted to point out I said we were never leaving because of the Minerals development 4 hours before this became a thread.

 

[Pesqueeb]

So apparently the US has know about this since at least 2007. I love how it keeps being called the "saudi arabia of lithium". I don't really think thats a fair comparison to saudi arabia, they are much more civilized the afganistan is ever going to be. And thats not saying very much.

Despite what you may read this morning, the U.S. military did not just “discover” a trillion dollars’ worth of precious minerals in Afghanistan.

The New York Times today proclaimed that Afghanistan is apparently poised to become “the Saudi Arabia of lithium” — a metal used to produce gadgets like iPods and laptops. The discovery will also, according to Pentagon documents quoted by the Times, fundamentally transform the country’s opium-reliant economy.

But the military (and observers of the military) have known about Afghanistan’s mineral riches for years. In a 2007 report, the Geological Survey and the Navy concluded that “Afghanistan has significant amounts of undiscovered non-fuel mineral resources,” 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 Minestry, which “has long been considered one of the country’s most corrupt government departments,” the Wall Street Journal reports.


And the timing of the “discovery” seems just a little too convenient. As Blake Hounshell at Foreign Policy 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 coltan, 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 were forced to mine for the precious metal that was later used to manufacture tech gadgets.

It’ll take years, and a ton of capital investment, before Afghanistan’s deposits can even be mined. And when they can, it’s anybody’s guess who’ll actually be profiting. Hounshell sums up the mess nicely:

Meanwhile, the drive for Kandahar looks to be stalled in the face of questionable local support for Karzai’s government, the Taliban is killing local authorities left and right, and the corruption situation has apparently gotten so bad that the U.S. intelligence community is now keeping tabs on which Afghan officials are stealing what.

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

 

[$tinkle]

yep, we're going to rape them of their minerals like we're raping iraq of their oil

or at least, they can fund their terrorism from a more respectable source.

 

[gsweet]

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3471711&postcount=302

Just wanted to point out I said we were never leaving because of the Minerals development 4 hours before this became a thread.

The general mineral resource industry has known about the Afgan/Pakistan resources for a while. Decades, actually. The extent of mineralization hasn't quite been figured out yet (though it looks like it's well on it's way), but this area is one among many on the "list" for a lot major mining companies. Hell, just look at the gem trade of this region; it's completely ridiculous...

 

[BurlyShirley]

Wonder if they'll surpass Kazahkstan in potassium export?

 

[MMike]

Wonder if they'll surpass Kazahkstan in potassium export?

is nice?

 

[gsweet]

Wonder if they'll surpass Kazahkstan in potassium export?

No Kazakhstan has superior potassium

 

[bohorec]

How convenient. So much about war on terror.

"In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way."

 

[JohnE]

...sigh...

 

[dan-o]

I expect 'No Blood for Lithium' stickers to appear on non-hybrid vehicles any day.

 

[gsweet]

I expect 'No Blood for Lithium' stickers to appear on non-hybrid vehicles any day.

I'd be willing to bet we'll even see those on a few Prius bumpers...

 

[gsweet]

Don't know if anybody is interested, but a quick follow up on this:

The geologists ran a handful of geophysical surveys (geomag, grav, etc) and are basing their "trillion dollars" of resource on pretty much that alone. What this means is that every anomaly detected in the geophysical surveys was considered a deposit (without doing much groundwork, never mind a brief feasibility study or anything like that). So yea, trillion dollars my ass. Let's put it like this, if I conducted a similar study where I'm currently working (northern MN; the northwestern margin of the mid continental rift system), the resource estimate would probably look to be between 25 to 50 trillion.

So yea...you can see why the general media grabbed this headline and ran with it.

 

[Pesqueeb]

Why do you hate Freedom®?

 

[gsweet]

Why do you hate Freedom®?

My freedom's soggy. I need a new one...