Afghan minerals , How Yall think this will play out ?

[olevetonahill]

Will all this new found riches change that toilet bowl place into a Decent place to live?
Will the Taliban lose out? or will they Grow in strength?

How bout those poppy fields will the Afghan tribal leaders abandon that **** in search of the riches ?
Yall Discuss . And Play nice if ya can :pop:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Afghan-mineral-wealth-may-be-apf-3305688522.html?x=0

[Ike]

Considering that these minerals have been known about for a long time (The Ruskies sure as **** knew about them when they invaded), I don't see it playing out at all for a while. It's going to take a lot of investment to make it even possible to extract said minerals, and nobody is going to be willing to invest until the security situation has been taken care of. So, for the time being, I think they'll still go with poppy fields.

[olevetonahill]

I just read this article , I had read one earlier and I thot this was it, that led me to believe this was all new findings.

Ya would think the Peeps would Love to see this Opened up to give them a better way of life . But then I remember that those idjits dont have a clue about anything but Opium and killing .:eek:

[Ike]

I just read this article , I had read one earlier and I thot this was it, that led me to believe this was all new findings.

Ya would think the Peeps would Love to see this Opened up to give them a better way of life . But then I remember that those idjits dont have a clue about anything but Opium and killing .:eek:

It's not that new. The USGS reported on this stuff in 2007 (and potentially earlier), and for some reason, the news media decides that 2010 is the time to make their 2007 report a big deal.

Yeah, there's potential for this to lead to rainbows and unicorns and a better way of life and all that crap. There's also potential for this to turn things in the other direction...Lots of third world countries that have suddenly discovered valuable resources often take a turn for the worse (see "blood diamond", among other things)

[Ike]

I'll also add this: The current Afghan govt (or what can be called a govt there) is widely seen as being very corrupt. If mining of this stuff were to begin tomorrow, I don't see any way that corruption doesn't increase as a result. Things like mining leases going to well connected people/family members. Or the govt charging less well connected people too much for leases, or just plain shaking them down if they open a mine...that kind of thing. It happens all the time.

[olevetonahill]

Kinder what i was thinkin Ike
Those idjits will prolly just use the money for more ways to hate and hurt others than to improve their country.:(

[Jacie]

I don't see any of this helping the Taliban, unless they retake the country. Mining for ore isn't like the blood diamond thing, where an individual can transport a small fortune in a backpack. The only thing the Taliban can do with any rocks they find over there is throw them at coalition troops.

As for any good it will do, the post about corruption is closer to reality than any dream of making the average Afgani better off, and that doesn't take into account the physical damage done from leaving the landscape looking like the surface of the Moon once Big Mining Co. is through with it.

[olevetonahill]

I don't see any of this helping the Taliban, unless they retake the country. Mining for ore isn't like the blood diamond thing, where an individual can transport a small fortune in a backpack. The only thing the Taliban can do with any rocks they find over there is throw them at coalition troops.

As for any good it will do, the post about corruption is closer to reality than any dream of making the average Afgani better off, and that doesn't take into account the physical damage done from leaving the landscape looking like the surface of the Moon once Big Mining Co. is through with it.

Ya say that like ya think that place is Purty now :eek: :D

[StoopTroup]

You have to think this is purely the most perfect truth about America and why it's such a great Country.

Afghanistan has been there as a Country that all the other Countries have used or misused for Centuries....the last Greatest misuse was by the Soviet Union. No one has ever Conquered Afghanistan they have merely gone there killed a bunch of folks and then later given up on the place as it's really not one of the premiere living spots of the World.

Now...it's a great place to grow opiates. The World loves that place for that. Matter of fact...most folks don't want anything to really happen to it because of the opiates...especially the Taliban and the locals as it is their major crop just as cocaine is for Columbia and Peru and that area. The South American Countries though have realized that you can't survive and run a real Country if you base it's sole survival on selling drugs to Countries more powerful than you. Eventually they'll get tired of the way the greed of the drug trade abuses the people who live there and these drug countries all end up fighting or with coups over who is going to run things.

Afghanistan is no different.

Now we go in after the Taliban and UBL and try to help Hamid Karzai not only try to put an end to the Centuries of this kind of abuse of power but to get rid of the Taliban, the radicals, the Overlords and maybe just maybe get UBL.

We stumble on mineral wealth...the amounts of which have never been discovered ever in the History of Afghanistan. There is maybe enough to make Dubai jealous if the situation is handled well.

I figure we just signed on to help Afghanistan for as long as we did Panama after digging the Canal there.

If you are in the Military...I'd be getting myself prepared for lots more deployments to Afghanistan in not only the near future but as long as you are active service.

Just a thought. I don't see us leaving in the next decade no mater who is POTUS.

[OUMallen]

Financial prospertiy has a way of minimizing theology sometimes. (but not in Saudi Arabia!) Basically, the Taliban is not equipped to handle these type of resources, can't reach these resources, people won't deal with the Taliban, and the Taliban really doesn't control just a helluva lot anyway.

If you tell the Afghans that they can have roads, water, medicine, schools, and all the korans they can shake a stick at, and all they have to do is not let the taliban take over again...I'm thinking they'll do what it takes.

[Ike]

Financial prospertiy has a way of minimizing theology sometimes. (but not in Saudi Arabia!) Basically, the Taliban is not equipped to handle these type of resources, can't reach these resources, people won't deal with the Taliban, and the Taliban really doesn't control just a helluva lot anyway.

If you tell the Afghans that they can have roads, water, medicine, schools, and all the korans they can shake a stick at, and all they have to do is not let the taliban take over again...I'm thinking they'll do what it takes.

Financial prosperity also has a way of further entrenching whoever happens to be in power when it comes. The Taliban may not be able to extract the resources, but they can also likely prevent anyone else from extracting them (same goes for local warlords/tribal leaders/etc) through raids, bombs, and other forms of violence....and thats one way that corruption will sneak into it. They'll try to cut deals: "we won't attack this mine for X dollars per week". Or the govt: "we will protect this mine for Y dollars per week"...etc. It will be difficult for the actual miners or mine operators to make much money to make their lives better, because most of it will go to lining the pockets of government officials and the taliban.

[Position Limit]

war will rage on. profiteers will do what they do. very few will benefit. locals should just continue to pray for a good herion crop.

[StoopTroup]

I'm telling you...we're not gonna leave the Taliban in charge of squat. Ever.

The stuff we found when they were running the Country after 911...you know...the mass graves...the Soccer Fields turned Roman Coliseums...the abuses to women...yeah that stuff. No way we ever leave them in charge again. While we were concentrating on Iraq the bastages tried to sneak back in again. No freaking way we leave that Country again without leaving a Government that will round those guys up and put an end to them to the point that they are a small bunch of mental patients wandering around without guns.

[Ike]

I'm telling you...we're not gonna leave the Taliban in charge of squat. Ever.

The stuff we found when they were running the Country after 911...you know...the mass graves...the Soccer Fields turned Roman Coliseums...the abuses to women...yeah that stuff. No way we ever leave them in charge again. While we were concentrating on Iraq the bastages tried to sneak back in again. No freaking way we leave that Country again without leaving a Government that will round those guys up and put an end to them to the point that they are a small bunch of mental patients wandering around without guns.

Oh I'm sure that when/if we leave, the Taliban won't be in charge of squat....But I have serious doubts about the ability of any government in afghanistan after we leave to keep the country secure.

[soonerboomer93]

um, I thought the Chinese were heavily investing in some mines/mining compounds there?

[OUMallen]

Oh I'm sure that when/if we leave, the Taliban won't be in charge of squat....But I have serious doubts about the ability of any government in afghanistan after we leave to keep the country secure.

You just said it would entrench whomever is in power with the ability to deal in the resources. Now you say it won't.

:confused:

[Ike]

You just said it would entrench whomever is in power with the ability to deal in the resources. Now you say it won't.

:confused:

I'm talking about 2 different "it's" here. 1) mineral wealth. 2) us leaving. if 2 happens before 1, nobody is entrenched.

I should also note that I have serious doubts that any kind of mineral wealth will be flowing by the time we leave.

[OUMallen]

I'm with you. BECAUSE the "bad guys" aren't in power right now, I really believe the only way any of it will be tapped is with a politically correct government and will thus keep the Taliban out of power.

Once they start reaping benefits, the populace will want to keep going down the road of profitability...which typically (and not always, and only because they're not under a Iran-like theocracy) leads to liberalization, opening of trade, meshing of cultures, etc.

[OklahomaTuba]

Of course if our brilliant spiller n chief and possibly the worst secretary of state in American history succeed in driving Karzai to the Taliban, then I guess we get to see what a Taliban/AQ looks like with vast mineral wealth at its disposal.

I'm sure North Korea is excited about that new revenue source!

[OUMallen]

This message is hidden because OklahomaTuba is on your ignore list.

Man, words so sweet.