Monday, June 14, 2010

Exploit Afghanistan

If no one else has yet said it, let me be the first to advocate U.S. exploitation of Afghanistan's newly discovered vast mineral wealth. The U.S. has been engaged in a long, costly and frustrating nation-building effort in Afghanistan, with no end in sight, and not much to show for it beyond the initial successes. Now we have apparently found an amazing treasure trove of resources in what was thought to be a generally resource-poor country. It's time to cash-in, and receive some return for the mountains of aid, much of which has been squandered, that we've poured into the country.

Exploitation of Afghan mineral wealth is clearly in the U.S. interest. We should begin immediately to secure favorable development contracts, using all our leverage with the Karzai government. Whining about imperialism or other criticisms of such a strategy should be ignored. For once in the Obama administration, the U.S. should actually work to secure U.S. interests. If we do not, other countries such as China will surely take advantage of the situation and leave us behind. Not that it should matter from the U.S. perspective, but U.S. primacy in Afghan resource development will almost certainly also be in the interest of Afghanistan as well as America. Afghanistan doesn't have the technological skill, organization and experience to extract those riches on its own. It needs assistance. And it is far likelier to get a deal benefiting the Afghan people from the U.S. than from a country like China or Russia. Along with our solo efforts, the U.S. should work in conjunction with its European allies that have supported & participated in the Afghan war, to structure deals for our mutual benefit.

It is highly unfortunate that this great discovery was made with the incompetent Obama administration in charge of U.S. foreign policy. I have no confidence that we will actually move to secure U.S. interests and benefit from this find. But we'll have to wait and see.

2 comments:

  1. Very hilarious in stating that Afghanistan's "vast mineral wealth" is "newly discovered." 9/11, sad to say, was pathetically used as just an excuse to rile up Congress and give wealthy contractors the ability to exploit and subject a whole nation. America, this is what your sons and daughters are dying for: the right for Cheney's empire to get richer. Why do you say that the US will get back its war debt investment when these contractors have given absolutely zero money back into the US economy for the past nine years of war? And you assume starting today they'll magically give away their profits? The exploitation has not helped any Americans but the rich, has not helped any Afghans but the sympathizers, and will not help neither in the short or long term. Obama is in on it, just like Bush was... war makes money, but of course at the cost of brave American lives, civilians, and the culture of the exploited peoples... ...forcing more opportunities for retaliatory terrorism on innocent Americans and westerners anywhere in the world.

    P.S. If you respect debate, you won't delete my post, but if you do decide to delete, please spare a moment to think about what you'd be doing- you'd be just another traitor of the American people trying to hide the facts as to how global economics really works. Maybe you don't realize it yet, but Afghanistan is just one undertaking from which people like you and me have to suffer from economically in the ever-developing age of globalism and international monetary institutions. Thanks

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  2. I'd like to add that after reading my post, don't assume my comment is just a typical response from someone you would consider a political enemy, because there are conservatives, liberals, and leftists alike who oppose the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. From the right-wing, namely Ron Paul... and from the liberal side, many goofs actually support the wars, like Obama, who makes his money and takes his power from continuing to allow these wars to happen. On a side note though, can't really see any leftists supporting the war (Obama is NOT a leftist, but a liberal sell-out)...but there's realistically none of them in government anyway.

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