Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Mining in Afghanistan

It is estimated that forty million years ago the tectonic plates of India-Europe, Asia and Africa collided in a massive upheaval. This upheaval created the region of towering mountains that now includes Afghanistan. This process also deposited vast amounts of different minerals and other geologic materials, including gold, copper, lithium, iron ore, cobalt, natural gas, and oil etc. in a country later written off as war-torn and poverty stricken [24]. But the fact remains, that Afghanistan's resources could make it the richest mining region on Earth [25].

According to recent U.S. Geological surveys that were funded by the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Industry, Afghanistan may be possessing up to 36 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, 3.6 billion barrels of petroleum and up to 1,325 million barrels of natural gas liquids. Other recent reports show that the country has huge amounts of gold, copper, coal, iron ore, and other minerals. In 2010, Pentagon officials along with geologists from the United States announced the discovery of $1–3 trillion worth of untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan [26]. Several independent websites describe the value of Afghanistan like: ”Afghanistan’s resources could make it the richest mining region on the Earth”, and a memo from the Pentagon stated that Afghanistan could become the "Saudi Arabia of lithium” (a deposit of which the West uses vast amounts, e.g. for batteries and other products) [27][28][29][30][31].

Analysts believe that if the Afghan state was to generate even $10 billion per year from its mineral deposits, its gross national product would double and provide long-term funding for Afghan security forces and other critical needs [32].

These vast amounts of minerals are deposited in different provinces around the country, divided by different ethnics, religions, languages, political parties, and cultures. In the past, these differences were unfortunately the basis for many conflicts, the result being a region with many nations (Pashton, Hazar, Tajik, Ozbik, Turkaman etc.). Whenever a nation comes to power, they try to impose their language, culture, and ideas on the others. Of course the other nations resist and try to act similarly.  A future understanding bridging these language differences needs either a compromise on one of those languages, or another international language, e.g. English. 

Consequently, there is no body, party, nor organizations, neither official nor unofficial, able to define one Afghan nation acceptable to all.

The problem is that when a person like Karzai rises to power, or a king during Afghan history, or parties like communists and Mojahedin or Taliban, they use their power to gain strength and direction for their ethnic and religious interests, not looking after the general interest. Everyone is trying to force other nations to accept their own rule for nationality and citizenship. For example, Pashton ethnics have always displayed such power, and they think like racists and will try to make other nations like Hazara, Tajik, Ozbik accept their ethnic supremacy. Because of a lack of common interest, these ethnics are not compatible and never will be, if the situation continues like today.
Now we know why the Karzai regime is not successful, even if more than forty countries have contributed with billions of dollars for maintaining and developing security, macro-economics, science etc.: The regime is failing, and furthermore widely known around the world as a back-oriented and corrupt regime, because it lacks any plan for developing other ethnics or nations within the country. 

For countries with the same problems and possibilities like Afghanistan, I suggest the following solution: A new political strategy by the name of geological politics!

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[25] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/afghanistans-resources-could-make-it-the-richest-mining-region-on-earth-2000507.html.

[26] Afghanistan’s Energy Future and its Potential Implications, Eurasianet.org.

[27] "Afghanistan's Mineral Fortune" (pdf). Institute for Environmental Diplomacy and Security Report. 2011. http://www.uvm.edu/ieds/node/568/.

[28]"Afghanistan: The Saudi Arabia of Lithium?". News.discovery.com. June 14, 2010. http://news.discovery.com/earth/afghanistan-minerals-lithium.html. Retrieved November 14, 2010.

[29] "Afghanistan is suddenly wealthy: US finds $1 trillion in mineral deposits". Ksdk.com. http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=204154. Retrieved November 14, 2010.

[30] Sengupta, Kim (June 15, 2010). "Afghanistan's resources could make it the richest mining region on earth". London: Independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/afghanistans-resources-could-make-it-the-richest-mining-region-on-earth-2000507.html. Retrieved November 14, 2010.

[31] Page, Jeremy; Evans, Michael (June 15, 2010). "Taleban zones mineral riches may rival Saudi Arabia says Pentagon". The Times (London). http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article7149696.ece.

[32] O'Hanlon, Michael E. "Deposits Could Aid Ailing Afghanistan", The Brookings Institution, 16 June 2010.

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