Afghanistan, the real reason ?

tattlad


Joined: 13/12/2008
Posts: 479

Message Posted:
16/06/2010 14:43

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/14/afghanistans-vast-riches_n_610869.html



Aha, now it's getting clearer.

Oilman


Joined: 19/09/2008
Posts: 225

Message Posted:
16/06/2010 14:52

When have the USA ever acted for any other reason but self-interest? Why do you imagine George W and his Vice President, Dick Cheney [Halliburton VP] were so commited to the Iraq invasion? Now they are trying to justify action again this time Iran is the target.

tattlad


Joined: 13/12/2008
Posts: 479

Message Posted:
16/06/2010 18:50

Msg 2

your exactly right, and it annoys the sh*t out of me when I hear Obama slagging BP, ok they have had an accident but they should be giving BP help to sort it out not slagging them for it, there are toxins still seeping out of the ground in India after the American company had that disaster in Bopal, so the Yanks should be keeping well quiet, or do they think everyone has now forgotten about that little blip.

Oilman


Joined: 19/09/2008
Posts: 225

Message Posted:
16/06/2010 19:03

Tattlad totally agree on that point too.

ang1706


Joined: 28/01/2009
Posts: 570

Message Posted:
20/06/2010 10:47

Having served in Afghanistan in 'both the Military and Commercial World', the local Afghans are well aware that there are untapped resources.

I worked with well versed Locals and they will be surprised at this- or is this anothe Karzai trick to extract more money from the West!!

I am a bit puzzled however as for almost centuries British and Russian Experts have been trying to locate these minerals etc!

Thats why Britain fought 3 Afghan Wars, Russia during its invasion had so many Geological Experts and still found nothing worth staying on for!

Is this a case of -The Afghan version of King Solomons Mines!!!!!!!

Troodo


Joined: 12/06/2008
Posts: 1002

Message Posted:
20/06/2010 11:05

I suppose it could not be to save the people from medieval bondage where men are allowed to murder their wives in the name of religion and the warlords can live as despots. No, probably not, so let them go back to the old way and forget about them.

ataturk


Joined: 09/09/2008
Posts: 712

Message Posted:
20/06/2010 12:33

Troodo you have been watching and reading to much western news. I think the murder rate in western countries is far higher than in the east. Please dont be so blind.

Troodo


Joined: 12/06/2008
Posts: 1002

Message Posted:
20/06/2010 13:38

Oh, so it is western propoganda, silly me.

kibsolar


Joined: 14/09/2008
Posts: 552

Message Posted:
20/06/2010 19:49

that afghanistan is rich of minerals is an old story... even alexander the great knew about it... the big amounts of that new minerals count to the discobery of lithium... which will be needed for batteries in eg electric cars.... and the "de facto monopoly" at the moment is with the bolivians... another war place with Evo Morales as the "warrior" against the big multis..... to protect the rights of the indios and the other poor bolivians.

but bolivias lithium reserves cannot meet all the needs.....

so, afghanistan and bolivia will be very important countries in the future.... time to invade them both for a long time.....medivial or not... this isnt the question here.....

JohnW


Joined: 23/04/2009
Posts: 601

Message Posted:
20/06/2010 20:06

ang1706



The three Afgan Wars were fought for a very different reason. The Great Game as it was known at the time was fought for control of Afghanistan to keep the Russians from getting to the Indian Ocean where they had hopes to establish a warm water port (all their ports froze in winter). Without a warm water port they had no hope of being other than a continental power. The British, on the other hand, controlled the seas and would do whatever it took to keep things that way.



Now it is different. Helmund, where the British are trying to deny the Taliban control is a known source of Uranium. All we need to do is keep fighting. We don't want the Uranium. We just need to make sure they and Al Quaeda don't get it. The questions of course are, how many lives is it worth losing and how much money should we spend to deny them the Uranium?

ang1706


Joined: 28/01/2009
Posts: 570

Message Posted:
20/06/2010 20:19

JohnW,



Yes you are in a way correct, but do you remember the Rudyard Kipling books and his hero the native boy KIM.

They were following what Russians were upto and the Russians even then were looking for minerals! This was I believe in the Victorian era when the Afghan wars were fought.



Modern day it is for a different reason as you quite rightly mention above and it is scary, Afghanistan and Iran with these facilities, yes Iran and Al Quaeda are different beliefs (Sunni other Shia) but the normal Afghan just wants there country back as it was before the Taliban. The Karzai Regime is so corrupt that even Cabinet members are now refusing to be part of it. I am concerned as to how much in lives as well as money this will cost the west and more importantly the UK.

kibsolar


Joined: 14/09/2008
Posts: 552

Message Posted:
20/06/2010 20:30

JohnW.

you dont want the uranium? you are joking, or? the "known reserves" are finished in 20-25 years. quite scary for the nuclear power plant operators...isnt it? and believe me or not.... nowadays it will be impossible for the Taliban to buy somewehre 3000 or more high speed centrifuges to produce enriched uranium...

JohnW


Joined: 23/04/2009
Posts: 601

Message Posted:
20/06/2010 20:43

kibsolar



As usual, you miss the point. Never mind.

JohnW


Joined: 23/04/2009
Posts: 601

Message Posted:
20/06/2010 20:48

The Taliban and Al Quaeda are Sunni.

ang1706


Joined: 28/01/2009
Posts: 570

Message Posted:
20/06/2010 21:01

But Iran is most deffo SHIA!!

girne 29


Joined: 06/12/2007
Posts: 1488

Message Posted:
20/06/2010 21:11

After taking over, the Taliban destroyed and forbade the cultivation of opium.

As 90% of the worlds heroin came from there,we were perhaps protecting the democratic right of the farmers to grow it, and the democratic right of the rest of the world to use it.



Our intervention worked,production has increased by 40 times from what it was in our first year of occupation . We have even convinced the Taliban to embrace western free enterprise and now they have done a U turn and encourage farmers to grow opium to fund their terrorist war on us .

The Taliban are so much in control that they have dictated a price increase of 60% this year to cover for a blight and also a needed increase in the war chest.Because of shortgage of product ,this year will be a bumper year for the Taliban.



Worth thinking about when we get the next report of one of our men or women killed.

Lilli



Joined: 21/07/2008
Posts: 13081

Message Posted:
21/06/2010 01:37

andre thid beggeer belief, i have just finished a biook about the sas in the areas and the work they do, then i watch ziegiest and all i think now there is a disaster waiting to happen. it seems to me that bin laden controls xxx