Afghanistan and Rare Mineral Resources
On September 5th, 2014, Yahoo published an article by Charles Q. Choi on Afghanistan and rare minerals, who wrote on the possibility that “Afghanistan may be sitting on one of the richest troves of minerals in the world, valued at nearly $1 trillion, according to U.S. scientists.”
Researchers have been analyzing Afghanistan for years, trying to see what was exactly in the earth. According to the article,
“Afghanistan may hold 60 million tons of copper, 2.2 billion tons of iron ore, 1.4 million tons of rare earth elements such as lanthanum, cerium and neodymium, and lodes of aluminum, gold, silver, zinc, mercury and lithium. For instance, the Khanneshin carbonatite deposit in Afghanistan’s Helmand province is valued at $89 billion, full as it is with rare earth elements.”
However, there are reported mining and logistical challenges to accessing the resources. Outside actors such as the United States Geological Survey is working with local Afghan Geologists.
Among the key issues regarding this story are the political implications as it relates to the rare materials. As Marcia McNutt, who is the editor-in chief of Science pointed out that the state has to be aware of issues such as protecting the environment, as well as avoiding corruption.
Her points are important, as one of the challenges that could face Afghanistan is the resource curse. Leaders in power during the time of the mineral discovery could use the resources to buy off political opposition, as well as back those who are loyal to them; this might in turn make it difficult to hold leaders accountable. Some states, such as Norway, have been successful at using their resources. Others have not used their resources for economic development and diversification, and instead have distributed resources in order to further consolidate their political power. There is a great deal of literature that looks at the “resource curse,” where states that have such a large amount of oil or resource rents still face significant political and economic challenges.
In order to avoid the resource curse, it will be important for Afghan leaders to use the resources to diversify their economy, along with providing important social programs. Also, as McNutt is quoted as saying in the article,
““The leaders of Afghanistan will have many important decisions to make in the coming years and decades,” McNutt wrote in an editorial in the Aug. 15 issue of the journal Science. “Science has opened the door to a new, more prosperous future. May they use this opportunity wisely.””
But, if the resources are not used wisely, if there is little accountability, if a percentage is not saved for the future, and if citizen voices are suppressed throughout this process, then these resources will not do much good for the economic development of the state, and will also serve little good with regards to citizen human rights and political rights.
In addition to this, one other point of note is that it will also be interesting to see the international relations that will develop with outside MNCs and states who may want to win development contracts as they relate to the resources in the future. Many outside states and companies may want to have a role in finding and developing these resources. Furthermore, regional states may not take additional note, as Afghanistan’s new found wealth could alter their existing relationships, and in turn, could impact the geopolitics of the region.
