To the Chinese and the Indians, the spoils of a terrible war

March 18th, 2012 — By David Randall and Johnathan Owen, The Independent:

Allies pay in blood while others plot to exploit Afghanistan’s rich natural resources.

The money and blood pit that is Afghanistan – where the US and Britain have expended more than 2,100 lives and £302bn – is about to start paying a dividend. But it won't be going to the countries which have made this considerable sacrifice. The contracts to open up Afghanistan's mineral and fossil-fuel wealth, and to build the railways that will transport them out of the country, are being won or pursued by China, India, Iran, and Russia

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Delegation from the Afghan Ministry of Mines Visits Washington

March 5, 2012 — Embassy of Afghanistan:

An official delegation led by H.E. Wahidullah Shahrani, Minister of Mines, visited Washington from February 29 until March 3 to discuss the future of Afghanistan’s mineral resources industry with American officials and private investors.

During a meeting, Minister Shahrani explained that, “There has been a tremendous amount of interest and activity in the Mining Sector in Afghanistan. U.S. Geological Survey data indicates that Afghanistan may hold unexplored mineral deposits worth as much as $1 trillion dollars. The government of Afghanistan has estimated the figure as high as $3 trillion dollars.”

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Can the Afghan economy be saved?

February 3, 2012 — By Javid Ahmad and Louise Langeby, Foreign Policy:

Whipsawed by a long-drawn U.S.-led military operation and a decade of erratic international economic assistance, Afghanistan is in shambles.

With economic development always considered secondary to security concerns, little has been done in the past decade to establish a sustainable Afghan economy. While the international community has tried to generate a steady flow of aid, the Afghan government is still unable to cater to the population's basic needs. Moreover, the little economy we have seen evolve in Afghanistan since 2001 is predominantly based on the international security presence. The bulk of Afghanistan's gross domestic product (GDP) stems from international aid, and the impending 2014 deadline for the withdrawal of international combat troops will be accompanied by a parallel reduction in aid money.

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All Silk Roads Lead to Tehran

23 January 2012- — By Neil Padukone, Foreign Policy:

Sanctions aren't the answer. If Washington is serious about building a new economic and security architecture across South and Central Asia, it can’t avoid working with Iran.

Speaking last September on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Secretary Hillary Clinton articulated the U.S. government's vision of a "New Silk Road" running through Afghanistan. In a throwback to the circuit that once connected India and China with Turkey and Egypt, she argued in favor of a network of road, rail, and energy links that would traverse Central Asia and enable Turkmen gas to fuel the subcontinent's economic growth, cotton from Tajikistan to fill India's textile mills, and Afghan produce to reach markets across Asia.

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