[/caption]Recently, the GDP of Afghanistan was estimated to be $12 billion… not including the illicit funds from heroin traffic… but in a few years, Afghanistan may be the envy of that part of the world due to the mother lode of minerals that were discovered accidentally by an American geological team. The mineral deposits discovered in Afghanistan are Gold, Cobalt, Copper, Lithium, among others. The main mineral needed to make cell phones is said to be in great abundance in the find.
At first blush, this is good fortune for the Afghanistan people, but this discovery of wealth may also be rife with problems too: the Taliban may strengthen their resolve and dig in... and pro-long the war; there may be increase ethnic strife arguing over the minerals; the Chinese are said to be making their influence felt because of their insatiable appetite for minerals; case in point, recently, one of the Afghan officials had to resign after being caught taking a $30 million bribe from the Chinese.
Those who discovered the lode said that Afghanistan can be the Saudi Arabia of minerals, but it will take years for the Afghans to grow into an industrial juggernaut predicted by the American officials. These same American officials are also worried that venal politicians among the Afghan officials may try to take advantage of their seats in the government and secure minerals rights to the lode.
President Hamid Karzai was briefed of the find and is looking at his country’s laws to determine how to go forward in this venture. Of course, these good tidings are happening during the intense war with the Taliban… perhaps, this find will give the various Afghan tribes an incentive to fight together and drive out rulers who govern by fiat.
They have as a template the Iraqi people… where Kurds, Sunnis, and Shiite have relatively put aside their differences to share in their vast oil revenues. This lode has the potential to change the afghan culture… providing the needed resources for its long suffering people.
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