This fellow makes a lot of good points.

[Jaysyn]

(30th June 2011 07:55)Moros Synackaon Wrote:  Afghanistan is a useless, nearly resource-less place. The only purpose of invading is to feed the military-industrial complex, economically speaking.

Not so much.

Quote:'Trillion dollar' mineral deposits have been discovered in Afghanistan according to US officials. These deposits include vast quantities of iron, copper, and lithium (important to battery technologies). The iron and copper discoveries are so huge, they have the potential of transforming the war-torn nation which, according to the United Nations, has one of the lowest living standards in the world. Preliminary reports suggest that lithium deposits are comparable with the world's largest in Bolivia.

[Rhythm]

Comforting to see that something may yet be gained by the whole endeavor.

[Minimalist]

(30th June 2011 02:15)Rhythm Wrote:  Soldiers lives are very precious. It costs a fair amount of money to recruit, train, house, cloth, and feed them.

Unfortunately those lives are far more precious to the soldiers themselves and their families than they are to the command structure. As they say "old soldiers never die because young soldiers do all the fighting."

[Moros Synackaon]

(30th June 2011 15:07)Jaysyn Wrote:  Not so much.

Thanks, I hadn't known that. Still, if the purpose was to seize and utilize assets as the above, then the US is doing it exactly ass backwards. One does not destroy infrastructure if the goal is to slave the economy for production. The US has exactly done that and must rebuild entire sections of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Who benefits from the infrastructure being destroyed? Military contractors, and the few really ballsy civvies. The resource whores (energy giants, mining ops) benefit not one iota from losing infrastructure, and instead absolutely depend on it.

For the goal of seizing resources, we've done the worlds most lousiest job.

[Rhythm]

I'm forming the basis of a conspiracy theory. I would like to propose that the purpose was in fact not to seize said resources, but to prevent access to them. If these resources flooded the market battery technology would become an even cheaper alternative to fossil fuels.

::tinfoil hat::

[Jaysyn]

(30th June 2011 18:18)Moros Synackaon Wrote:  Thanks, I hadn't known that.

We didn't either till we invaded.

[Minimalist]

The Russians couldn't subdue the place and they were willing to be far more ruthless than we would ever be.

[padraic]

Quote:And yes it's nonsense everybody knows why we are there besides the selfless reasons of spreading this infestation called the west, and it's because afghanistan is rich in minerals

Bollocks.

Wars are only fought for one or both of two reasons: To take something the other guy has or to stop him from taking something you have.This is not always obvious.

Look at an Atlas. Countries have been fighting over Afghanistan for centuries ;it is the gateway to the Middle East

PLUS,TODAY:

Quote:Afghanistan's significance from an energy standpoint stems from its geographical position as a potential transit route for oil and natural gas exports from Central Asia to the Arabian Sea. This potential includes the possible construction of oil and natural gas export pipelines through Afghanistan, which was under serious consideration in the mid-1990s. The idea has since been undermined by Afghanistan's instability. Since 1996, most of Afghanistan has been controlled by the Taliban movement, which the United States does not recognize as the government of Afghanistan.

http://www.institute-for-afghan-studies....ources.htm