U.S. Discovers Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan

Now, because of this "find", the Afghans don't have a chance. What little chance they had at a free society, has quickly dissipated. The western PTB will now most likely press harder for some evil dictator to ensure that the minerals will be raped for corporate profit. If the people are free to choose their own government in a democratic system, they may not allow western corporations to rape the resources. Any doubts? Take a look at pre-invasion Iraq or maybe even pre-revolution Iran, Venezuela or any other South American country. If they think the Taliban was bad, just wait until they see what western corporations have in store for them. Game over for Afghanis.

--airspoon

reply to post by airspoon


Well, better the chance of some riches and motivation for development than the alternative poverty and poppies.

Afghanistan is very poor. The chance of some escape from what their economy is based around has to be welcomed.

I cannot believe that may of the posters in this thread cannot see this.

Regards

reply to post by ModernAcademia




Oh boy Cheney is already calling up Halliburton to get them ready...

reply to post by paraphi


These "minerals" will not benefit the people. Instead, it will give our government a reason to install a brutal a dictator to ensure that US corporations are able rape those resources. The Afghan people will wind up oppressed just like the Iranians under the US installed and backed Shah or just like any one of the many US backed right-wing dictators in South America a couple of decades ago. This is in no way, shape or form a good thing for the Afghan people.

Before this "find", the US only had to make sure that the Afghan government would allow the pipeline stretching from the Caspian. Now, the US is going to have make sure that an Afghan government will allow the raping of their resources for pennies on the dollar, basically meaning that this government would be run by a brutal dictator, as no democratically elected would allow their resources to go so cheap.

You see, it is much cheaper to make one man (dictator) rich by stealing the resources, than it is to pay a fair price for the minerals or resources, benefiting all of the people.

The US has a very well documented history of doing this and if anything is done, it would be a radical departure from our normal policies.

--airspoon

Originally posted by airspoon
These "minerals" will not benefit the people. Instead, it will give our government a reason to install a brutal a dictator to ensure that US corporations are able rape those resources. The Afghan people will wind up oppressed just like the Iranians under the US installed and backed Shah or just like any one of the many US backed right-wing dictators in South America a couple of decades ago. This is in no way, shape or form a good thing for the Afghan people.

Why won’t mineral exploitation benefit “the people” when it will provide employment, industry and all the benefits thereof. You don’t that the US will “install a brutal dictator” and your examples of Iran and South America are based on experience decades ago in the Cold War when the world was different. In fact, the US (and their allies) appear committed to installing democracy in Afghanistan.

I assume you think letting “the people” live in dire poverty is good. Clearly you don’t live in dire poverty. You should welcome the news that Afghanistan is not just a dust bowl but also has greater potential to lift itself up from being one of the poorest nations in the world.

Originally posted by airspoon
Before this "find", the US only had to make sure that the Afghan government would allow the pipeline stretching from the Caspian. Now, the US is going to have make sure that an Afghan government will allow the raping of their resources for pennies on the dollar, basically meaning that this government would be run by a brutal dictator, as no democratically elected would allow their resources to go so cheap.

Sorry, there’s the words “brutal dictator” again… Why would a nation which changes from a subsistence farming (and drugs) economy to add the exploitation of mineral deposits need a “brutal dictator” to make it happen and where is the evidence that the Afghanistan authorities let their resources “go so cheap”.

Iraq has managed to broker lucrative oil deals in the last couple of years without recourse to the US.

Regards

Originally posted by Xtrozero

Originally posted by SLAYER69
Somehow this doesn't surprise me.
Outside of the poppy fields and oil pipeline routs there had to be something that was more valuable in the region. I'm surprised they released this info. I doubt that this is actually a new discovery. It was probably known for years.

Nothing like spending 2 trillion in a few years to make a 1 trillion over decades.....

You're forgetting...it's 2 trillion dollars of OUR tax money to give 1 trillion to PRIVATE corporations. In their eyes that's a great deal. I'll give you 10-1 odds that Haliburton will profit heavily from this.

Just wanted to note Hamid Karzai is saying its up to $3 trillion worth of deposits.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai estimated his country's mineral wealth could total as much as $3 trillion.

news.yahoo.com...

One thing I am wondering about is the effect on gold prices.

If Afghanistan has tens or hundreds of billion of dollars worth of gold deposits, how will that effect the gold markets?

Here me out I received a mail from trader central saying this
"Gulf Oil Spill Changes Everything!
The real and lasting impact of the Deepwater Horizon disaster will be in Washington, not the beaches and marshes of Louisiana!
Here’s Why You Need to Alter Your
Investment Strategy Accordingly:
It’s already begun! Environmental activists are using the Gulf coast oil spill as a call to action.
is already on YouTube with an emotional plea titled “The Ban” that challenges Obama to “be a leader” and reinstate the ban on new offshore drilling.
Here’s why the real impact of the Gulf oil spill will be way more permanent than tar balls on beaches and what every savvy, nimble investor should do now as a result:
President Obama has promised that no new offshore drilling leases will be issued unless rigs have new safeguards to prevent a repeat of the explosion that unleashed the massive spill now threatening the entire Gulf coast.
Environmentalists plotting the ebb and flow of the massive oil slick fear it will wreak irreparable damage to the beaches and fisheries of the Gulf in the weeks and months ahead.
But, whether BP succeeds soon in capping the flow. . .regardless of how many fish and shellfish die. . . and how much oil eventually washes ashore in the future, the real and lasting impact has already occurred.
Obama has Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in emergency mode
and every indication is that Congressional support for off-shore drilling is sinking fast.
What does it all mean to you as an investor?
The Gulf oil spill is a giant step backward for the oil industry. It’s a giant step forward for the “greenies.” It’s going to make it even more difficult for America to tap its biggest potential reserves. And, I believe it will speed the move to alternative energies and emission-free technologies.
The Gulf oil tragedy adds tremendous momentum to a movement that was already gathering speed.
More road blocks on the path to oil mean more urgency in the development of a replacement for oil.
And what are cars, trucks and busses going to run on if not gasoline derived from crude oil?
Not ethanol, and not hydrogen, we’ve pretty much proven that for sure. Maybe some day natural gas if T. Boone Pickens has his way. But in the meantime. . .right now. . .there’s already a totally non-polluting, economically attractive power source for cars.
You can already buy a car that doesn't totally depend upon gasoline for its primary power. And soon, many of the major auto makers could be selling cars that don't even have fuel tanks!
So, I say, while the Gulf spill is a tragedy that no one is happy about, every nimble investor can ride the current wave of sentiment change that’s going to speed the fuel of the future. And make no mistake, the jury has already returned a verdict:
Lithium is the Fuel of the Future!
And AmeriLithium (AMEL) is the "Next Exxon!"
Even before the setback of the Gulf oil spill, last year's spike in gasoline prices, combined with the green movement and America's push for energy independence, hasdushered in the new era of the electric vehicle. Instead of environmentally unfriendly, increasingly-expensive gasoline, this new breed of electric vehicles will run on electric motors powered by the next generation of lithium-ion batteries.
Gasoline is on the way out. Lithium is in the process of replacing it. And, as a result. . .
Almost overnight, lithium mining stocks have
racked up astonishing profits!

Lithium One Inc. - 1,745% gain in less than 8 months
Rodinia Minerals - 1,500% gain in less than 8 months
Canada Lithium Corp. - 888% gain in less than 8 months
American Lithium - 864% gain in just over 6 months
Rockwood Holdings - 696% gain in less than 9 months
China BAK Battery - 508% gain in 8 months
TRUST ME. . ."YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN YET!"
"the next Exxon!"
Sunovia Energy - Profits of 100%, 300% & 488%
Calamos Asset Mgt - High of 302%, up 206%
Quintana Marine - Up 114.9%
Celanese - 84.1%
G

Continuing
They Knew Afganistan had these minerals and invaded the country and the saying goes Lithium is the new oil and to make an impact this staged Oil spillage so that oil value goes down and Battery power takes over wow they are really bad......

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
This is good news, actually.

If Afghanistan can develop the infrastructure needed to exploit these minerals, the diversification of the economy could very well move the nation forward.

you made me laugh real hard there!

The African continent is very rich with minerals too, yet they are the most poor and war ravaged continent on this planet.

I wonder why?

I have been saying this for years now.

War is a Racket - Read the book !

It also brings 9/11 to light and why we are REALLY over there in the first place.

Also, if anyone has read Perkin's book, CONFESSIONS of an Economic Hit Man, this Afghan deal is the same old Lather, Rinse and Repeat of US Corptocracy.

Corptocracy defined as Corporations dictating our foreign policy under the guise of spreading democracy for the financial gain of major corporations. Who in turn provide our Political Leaders.

After 9/11 we conveniently weaseled our way into Afghanistan under the guise of "Fighting Terror".

And after 9 years, we are still there....

When in actuality, it was as it was with Iraq AND Iran for that matter, over natural resources.

Also, this is exactly why you don't see us invading N. Korea and kicking them around.....cause they aint got squat to take !

Sweet. When can we start making mining claims?? Me wants all that untapped gold, hope it's not too hard to trick the Taliban into thinking I'm there to study islam, with my dredge equipment.

[edit on 15-6-2010 by 27jd]

In fact this stunning new discovery has been the target of American hegemony for well over a decade.

Zbigniew Brzezinski, a presidential advisor, Trilateral Commission founder, Bilderberger, and Council of Foreign Relations figurehead describes the strategic location of the Eurasian Balkans (of which Afghanistan is the heart of) as follows:

“…the Eurasian Balkans are infinitely more important as a potential economic prize: an enormous concentration of natural gas and oil reserves is located in the region, in addition to important minerals, including gold (page 124),” and “America’s global primacy is directly dependent on how long and how effectively its preponderance on the Euraisian continent is sustained…A power that dominates Eurasia would control two of the world’s three most advanced and economically productive regions…most of the world’s physical wealth is there as well, both in its enterprises and underneath its soil (page 30-31).”
www.infowars.com...

Hold on.. hold on..
It gets better.... or worse depeding on how you look at it

The Times article hints at the truth that this discovery was well known prior to the 2001 U.S. invasion, “In 2004, American geologists, sent to Afghanistan as part of a broader reconstruction effort, stumbled across an intriguing series of old charts and data at the library of the Afghan Geological Survey in Kabul that hinted at major mineral deposits in the country. They soon learned that the data had been collected by Soviet mining experts during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, but cast aside when the Soviets withdrew in 1989.”

This was always about money and control, just not only gas.
I guess this kind of has somewhat alot to do with China

Now... look at this:

In fact, years before the September 2000 PNAC report calling for a “Pearl Harbor –Type event” to galvanize the American public to invade these strategic geopolitical and resource-rich areas, Brzezinski referenced the very same method here; “The attitude of the American public toward the external projection of American power has been much more ambivalent. The public supported America’s engagement in World War II largely because of the shock effect of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (page 24-25).”

Coincidentally, they got their “Pearl Harbor” event on September 11th, 2001 and their subsequent “domination” over the area’s vast mineral resources a month later with the invasion of Afghanistan.

Here's the PNAC Report
www.newamericancentury.org...

It seems that the mineral deposists is something we can throw into the 911 conspiracy theories.

Originally posted by toreishi
here's a link to show people what afghanistan was like in the 50's and 60's.
Once upon a time in Afghanistan

Once upon a time there was a BIG bad wolf called the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republic. That invaded and literally killed millions and sacrificed over 19,000 of their young killed and countless more wounded. Deforested the country and blew up bridges and destroyed what little railroad system the country had. Bombed villages indiscriminately.

Compared to them the US and NATO forces are almost saintly.
Keep the perspective real.

reply to post by ModernAcademia


Wow. What a coincidence!!! Imagine that. 1 trillion dollars worth of untapped minerals in AFGHANISTAN, and our Government JUST FOUND THAT OUT!!!

No further comment. If you don't get the sarcasm behind my last statement, then join the 95% of the rest of the American public.

Originally posted by SLAYER69

Originally posted by toreishi
here's a link to show people what afghanistan was like in the 50's and 60's.
Once upon a time in Afghanistan

Once upon a time there was a BIG bad wolf called the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republic. That invaded and literally killed millions and sacrificed over 19,000 of their young killed and countless more wounded. Deforested the country and blew up bridges and destroyed what little railroad system the country had. Bombed villages indiscriminately.

Compared to them the US and NATO forces are almost saintly.
Keep the perspective real.

Once upon a time there was this guy named Hitler. Hitler ran about and killing millions and created advanced technology that initially, we thought the United States coveted.

But then, we found it it was the BANKERS who was funding Hitler all along (Prescott Bush www.foxnews.com... www.democraticunderground.com..., This guy is a PHD...www.tetrahedron.org... and Donald Reagan), and that the banks in question were tied to the UNITED STATES. And then there was this thing called "Project Paperclip" (the merging of the SS and the OSS of the United States) where THE BANKERS paid the United States to commandeer all the technology that THEY were FUNDING Hitler and his lackeys to develop. So, the BANKERS, after pulling the plug on HITLER like they did to Sadaam Hussein, went over there and took back all of the scientists that THE BANKERS were funding and the technology that we had BOUGHT and created a NATIONAL SECURITY ACT in 1947. Yep, this made it possible to keep our black ops under wraps from the public. You see, initially, we didn't want to develop this technology on our own soil because it might look suspicious to the general public, therefore, it was much easier to create a front in a place like GERMANY. It was like magic. As soon as we defeated Hitler, Instantly we had rocket technology that could get to the moon, we had advanced medical technology, and we had all of the scientists that turned Germany into a killing machine. A machine bought and paid for by the highest Banking system in the land.

But, the story doesn't stop there. Shortly before, the BANKERS realized if they take down Germany, that they would obviously need a new center for technology. Well, after bombing Japan into submission, they were more than willing to fulfill that role.

Here's where it gets even more interesting. Shortly after defeating Germany and establishing that National Security Act of 1947, Israel is born as a STATE. Absolutely outstanding isn't it??? From death to resurrection. How miraculous...don't ya think?

WOW, what a coincidence that the state of Israel should be made one year after the declaration of the National Security Act, which was 3 years after they were almost wiped off the face of the earth. So, the BANKING SYSTEM poured billions upon billions of dollars into THIS STATE OF ISRAEL so that it could be the FORCE that GERMANY was SUPPOSED to be, without the added inconvenience of them trying to spread their EMPIRE too far and gaining too much bad international press. That sort of independent thinking can be a hindrance when viewed by the WORLD COMMUNITY. However, lately, Israel has been demonstrating some of the same "symptoms" that the Nazis were inevitably prone to. Such as violent outbursts, concentration camps, and the idea of separatism...yawn.

And as it turns out, Israel in their power grab for land has created concentration camps that look EXACTLY like the one's that Hitler made. Hmmm, any alarm bells going off yet??? They literally torture and starve thousand of Palestinians to death including civilians, women and children. WOW!!! ANOTHER COINCIDENCE!!!

But, of course, you want to focus on the Russian thing. Lets talk about that. Very interesting how Russia went BROKE trying to fight the same country that we are currently in ISN'T IT??? Very interesting how the BANKING SYSTEM just couldn't seem to fund Russian anymore and they had to fold as a viable state only to make the United States the only remaining superpower. YET ANOTHER COINCIDENCE!!!???

This isn't country verses country, this is banking verses the people of the world. Still haven't figured that out??? This is good verses evil. The bankers are playing all sides and they are puppeteering this madness. Communism, Capitalism, Socialism, Theocracies...yada yada yada. Its all a stage to make the citizens feel the droning and pride of nationalism so they can induct you into the machine giving you the illusion of a cause, a vote, and a sense of participation. After of which, its business as usual. Oh, and when you have that sense of PATRIOTIC PRIDE instilled, its much easier to fool someone into enlisting for an army that is also based off of BANKING AND PROFITS.

I can't wait until my thread is done and posted tomorrow because it will be the last time that I have to witness anymore of the ignorance here on ATS. Don't get me wrong, there are good people here trying to tell the truth who inevitably get targeted by disinformation agents, and the remainder of the folks are progressive thinkers, but still can't see the forest from the trees.

This isn't a game of nationalism folks. Its a world stage. A STAGE. Follow the money to see who always wins. It's the BANKERS. No matter how many people die, are slaughtered, poisoned, and abused, the BANKERS always come out smelling sweet with some profit and a good laugh.

We need to wake up. This is many heads of the same dragon. There is only ONE entity actually pulling all of the strings and they play all sides of the table in order to profit from the carnage.

WIKILEAKS WILL MAKE THIS APPARENT.
This is the very reason why the Saudi Prince warned his own family to get the hell out of their own country. He knows what is about to be leaked by Assange.
therearenosunglasses.wordpress.com...

And you might want to read this as well:
www.wired.com...:+wired27b+%28Blog+-+27B+Stroke+6+%252

Just wait and see if I'm lying.

[edit on 15-6-2010 by EvolvedMinistry]

reply to post by EvolvedMinistry


I suppose it was only a matter time before someone blamed the bankers, and started to rewrite and simplify history. Please EvolvedMinistry, go to a library and do some research before peddling things which are so wrong and based on nothing but paranoia and made up rubbish. Try to keep some association with the topic, which (if I recall) was the discovery of mineral deposits in Afghanistan.

Regards

Originally posted by paraphi
reply to post by EvolvedMinistry

 

I suppose it was only a matter time before someone blamed the bankers, and started to rewrite and simplify history. Please EvolvedMinistry, go to a library and do some research before peddling things which are so wrong and based on nothing but paranoia and made up rubbish. Try to keep some association with the topic, which (if I recall) was the discovery of mineral deposits in Afghanistan.

Regards

I know more about the mainstream history than you will probably ever understand. And then I also started looking into the reasons why things like the FDIC were established. Instead of criticizing, you might want to check for yourself.

Without money, there is no war. Why do you think the U.S. has to borrow money every time it goes to war? Who do you think funds the other side when this happens??? THE BANKERS. They play both sides, if there was ever a side to begin with. Watch the movie PRIMAL FEAR and apply it to politics. Its a shame that I have to sink this low (recommending unrelated movies) to get people to think critically, but, I guess it must be done.

[edit on 15-6-2010 by EvolvedMinistry]

Duh, do you remember what the USSR said about it?

Originally posted by Scramjet76
reply to post by GradyPhilpott

 

Amen brother. I'm with Grady on this one.

I think it is good news for the afghan gov't and people. Now they can hopefully govern a country that has something to export/offer other than poppy crop.

If the Afghan gov't can exploit this and get the economy going, hopefully they'll have more money to buy some weapons from us and pay their own security forces well so we can bring our troops home.

[edit on 13-6-2010 by Scramjet76]

It sure would be nice if the Afghan population would prosper from this, but sadly enough, they will fall into the SAP (Structural Adjustment Program) which will lend them huge bank accounts (billions and billions of US dollars) at an astronomical interest rate. The corporations will plunder them accounts, the Afghans will continue to impoverish, and the elites will have destroyed and plundered another nation. Most of this is almost predictable as clockwork. In the movie Zeitgeist Addendum, there is a good section about Economic Hitmen. Give it a listen.