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U.S. Discovers Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan
NY Times ^ | June 13, 2010 | James Risen

Posted on 06/13/2010 6:27:46 PM PDT by americanophile

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 Blackberries.

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.

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.

“There is stunning potential here,” Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of the United States Central Command, said in an interview on Saturday. “There are a lot of ifs, of course, but I think potentially it is hugely significant.”

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; lithium; mineraldeposits; riches
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To: mick

So it wouldn’t take that much for them to move on in. They’ll probably do it through business first. Like they have in South America.


21 posted on 06/13/2010 6:45:46 PM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: coloradan

“Far be it from the Afghans to discover this for themselves.”

1. they are too busy growing poppies.
2. Its hard to discover this with 7th century technology. Not much demand for lithium back then.


22 posted on 06/13/2010 6:48:16 PM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: americanophile

Well, if Iraq is any precedent, we’ll probably spend a trillion fighting the war in Afghanistan, and then hand the minerals over to the Chinese and the French. That’s what we did in Iraq.

Heavens forbid that we should seek any recompense for our expenditure of blood and money.


23 posted on 06/13/2010 6:50:13 PM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: americanophile

GAMECHANGER. Now Russia will simply wait us out (since we’ve announced when we’re leaving) & move in.


24 posted on 06/13/2010 6:51:48 PM PDT by anniegetyourgun
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To: TexasFreeper2009

Yep, lithium is a key thing in hybrid cars ;-)


25 posted on 06/13/2010 6:51:51 PM PDT by alecqss
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To: americanophile

Now if only we can get the stupid snaggle-toothed knuckleheads to actually start mining, maybe they can quit growing those cloud-9 poppies and we can leave.


26 posted on 06/13/2010 6:55:26 PM PDT by Migraine (Diversity is great... ...until it happens to YOU.)
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To: driftdiver

“How far is China from Afghanistan?”

They share a common border in the Northeast of Afghanistan.


27 posted on 06/13/2010 6:57:14 PM PDT by Parley Baer
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To: americanophile

A decade or two ago, an economics historian made a most extraordinary discovery, something unique in economics. He discovered the one and only known 100% correlation between economic national prosperity, and economic national decline.

Mining. Nations and national groups that mine are prosperous. The more they mine, the more prosperous they are. As they mine less, their nation is in decline. The discovery that this has been true in all times and places that mined was unheard of, and he spent another decade trying to disprove the theory, which he could not.

This is because mining is at the center of economic development. In every direction it stimulates the surrounding economy many layers deep.

This bodes very well for Afghanistan.


28 posted on 06/13/2010 6:58:44 PM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy (Two New Episodes of 'Futurama', this June 24th, on Comedy Central)
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To: xzins

IIRC it has been known for having jewels and, I think, some gold, since antiquity. But the worst logistics this side of Antarctica plus an extremely insular population have kept out development. They need to build modern roads and rail roads before they can exploit their mineral resources. Pre-Bush they had little of the former and literally zero of the latter. The Taliban and the drug lords would rather keep them poor and centuries behind the rest of us and would rather build IED’s than either.


29 posted on 06/13/2010 7:00:15 PM PDT by JohnBovenmyer (Remember 321)
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To: JohnBovenmyer

Makes sense.

But, still, I’ll believe it when I see it.


30 posted on 06/13/2010 7:03:19 PM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and proud of it. Those who truly support our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: marktwain

Why would they come out of the woodwork, we have more than enough here.


31 posted on 06/13/2010 7:07:04 PM PDT by org.whodat
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To: americanophile

There is indeed a God and He’s am American! God Bless America! Take that where the sun don’t shine, America-haters of the world!


32 posted on 06/13/2010 7:11:17 PM PDT by lbryce (Obama Notwithstanding, America's Best Days Are Yet To Be .)
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy
That's very interesting. Do you happen to have the name of the historian or a link where I could read more?

I always remember what an econ teacher told us about the creation of wealth.....only three ways...Mining, Manufacturing and Agriculture. I have been fascinated with this subject ever since.

33 posted on 06/13/2010 7:14:29 PM PDT by mick (Central Banker Capitalism is NOT Free Enterprise)
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To: driftdiver

I was thinking of your (2) when I wrote my post. Just 1500 more years, and they’ll be getting civilized. Maybe 1000. Maybe even 500. But probably not 50, or 100.


34 posted on 06/13/2010 7:18:34 PM PDT by coloradan (The US has become a banana republic, except without the bananas - or the republic.)
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To: marktwain

Karl Rove !!! You magnificent Bast@rd!!!


35 posted on 06/13/2010 7:19:55 PM PDT by Recovering Ex-hippie (Ok, joke's over....Bring back Bush !)
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To: Jet Jaguar; neverdem; AdmSmith; Berosus; bigheadfred; blueyon; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; ...
Thanks Jet Jaguar.
huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium
And if there's anything the Moslem world really needs, it's lithium.
36 posted on 06/13/2010 7:19:58 PM PDT by SunkenCiv ("Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others." -- Otto von Bismarck)
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To: americanophile

Great! Now they have every reason to succeed.

We will never leave Krapganistan


37 posted on 06/13/2010 7:29:41 PM PDT by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously... You'll never live through it.)
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To: Rebelbase
That's priceless! (The comment, not the Unobtainium :-) )
38 posted on 06/13/2010 7:37:16 PM PDT by lbryce (Obama Notwithstanding, America's Best Days Are Yet To Be .)
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To: xzins
Afghanistan has been known for sapphires and rubies and since the US has been in the area the locals have been mining these diligently for the money.
39 posted on 06/13/2010 7:40:50 PM PDT by vetvetdoug
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To: mick

I wish I still had that reference. But I do remember that it was for serious economists only, and I needed one to explain its significance.

The author was meticulous with his research, however. He wanted it to be bulletproof.


40 posted on 06/13/2010 7:44:49 PM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy (Two New Episodes of 'Futurama', this June 24th, on Comedy Central)
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