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"but it seems foolish to toss money at projects which require large-scale construction and worker training" I understand your argument to not abandon the poppi
by techiferous 16y ago
"but it seems foolish to toss money at projects which require large-scale construction and worker training"
I understand your argument to not abandon the poppies, but do you really think "foolish" is the right word to describe pursuing vast amounts of minerals that are in high demand? It's literally digging money out of the ground. Wouldn't the large-scale construction and worker training be funded by the profits from the minerals?
- charleso 16y agoYou're right. 'Foolish' was a poor choice of word. When pairing mineral resources with a chaotic government like Afghanistan's, I can't help but picture kleptocratic scenarios like Nigeria, Congo or the like and that's what brings 'foolish' to mind. If mining started there today we would certainly enjoy the fruits of the labour, but I'm not sure the people would see anything from it. A few other posters have mentioned 'The Resource Curse' and I think Afghanistan would end up more like Congo than Norway if minerals were extracted in quantity from their soil. I think starting with agricultural exports and building slowly from there would provide a more stable economic foundation.
- chopsueyar 16y agoI agree, we need more iPads, dammit!