We're looking to see if there is something besides heroin and corruption that they can base their future economy on. Duh.

I love you, Dan, but you sound like a freshman poli-sci major from Portland State on this one.

I was thinking that we were looking while trying to find local materials to build infrastructure with, but that works too CC.

Apparently the US wants to (among other things) set up a puppet government in Afghanistan and funnel the money from the mineral deposits out of the country and into US interests. Pretty obvious, this one.

War for Afghanistan escalating in 3...2...1...

I'm sure they knew about all those resources before the beginning of the war, and that is one reason (besides oil pipeline route) that our military has been there from the start.

Glad to know that when we DO finally switch over to battery-powered electric cars, we'll still have to fight ideological foes in corrupt, unstable regions for the resources. I can hear the bi-partisan campaign mantra of the future: "WE NEED TO REDUCE OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN LITHIUM!"

PRWalters for the win.