General Discussion

BrotherIvan

(9,126 posts)

32. Exactly

Thu Sep 4, 2014, 10:33 AM

Sep 2014

China uses its control over rare earth minerals to freak out the US and Europe regularly. That's why we can never leave Afghanistan: gotta get the minerals. Why the hell were we even there? Minerals. They are even more important than oil at this point because you can't build computer chips and other parts without them.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-11657982

It's the reason why we don't go into war torn countries that don't have resources. ISIS is bad, but what about Rwanda and Sudan? The US didn't bat an eyelash and it wasn't on the news 24/7. The list goes on, but anyone who thinks our military is ever deployed for humanitarian reasons is incredibly naive.

Click here to purchase valentine hearts!

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

40 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

$1 Trillion Trove of Rare Minerals Revealed Under Afghanistan [View all] xchrom Sep 2014 OP

Similar thing happened to all the Native Americans. Octafish Sep 2014 #1

Yeah, that "until" is the critical part, Octa suffragette Sep 2014 #25

SOLD! eom littlemissmartypants Sep 2014 #2

See, we don't go to war in that part of the world just for oil. merrily Sep 2014 #3

Yep, DUer FiveGood Men posted about this in January theHandpuppet Sep 2014 #9

I don't know if it was either of those, but it probably can't be posted enough. merrily Sep 2014 #10

Totally agree theHandpuppet Sep 2014 #13

Very true. littlemissmartypants Sep 2014 #18

SAD Mr Dixon Sep 2014 #4

Yep. Even truer today than when Nixon was Prez. merrily Sep 2014 #11

That was my first reaction! emsimon33 Sep 2014 #38

We go to war to protect Americasn interest. Hotler Sep 2014 #5

It is clearly the American people's duty to fight and die for those riches! Romulox Sep 2014 #6

That's a lot of mium's! VScott Sep 2014 #7

Search Mes Aynak. littlemissmartypants Sep 2014 #8

I have always said this was THE reason (besides the opium poppies) for our incursions. #patsself WinkyDink Sep 2014 #12

The DU community was an exceptionally helpful force in helping littlemissmartypants Sep 2014 #14

I could have sworn I'd heard about this more than a decade ago, Erich Bloodaxe BSN Sep 2014 #15

Exactly BrotherIvan Sep 2014 #32

Cali posted this in 2012 and that's what got me started. littlemissmartypants Sep 2014 #16

Video littlemissmartypants Sep 2014 #17

That could be revised to: "will play a major role in the economic growth of gtar100 Sep 2014 #29

^ nt littlemissmartypants Sep 2014 #30

Excerpt Ministry of Mines Afghanistan: Geology littlemissmartypants Sep 2014 #19

k and r panader0 Sep 2014 #20

DU is light years ahead of M$Greedia on these matters malaise Sep 2014 #21

I don't think anyone in the media didn't know BrotherIvan Sep 2014 #33

There are some things for which we cannot accept a material value. littlemissmartypants Sep 2014 #22

DUers have been posting about this for years. This is why the 1% owned US govern-mint Zorra Sep 2014 #23

An organized gov't controlling those resources and employing Afghani citizens Roland99 Sep 2014 #24

Rare earth isn't all that rare bhikkhu Sep 2014 #26

The problem with American rare earths Art_from_Ark Sep 2014 #39

Rare Earth. brings back memories... NRaleighLiberal Sep 2014 #27

Fantastic! littlemissmartypants Sep 2014 #31

Why would the old Soviet Union bankrupt themselves for a country they knew would be hostile? gordianot Sep 2014 #28

Video ~5 mins littlemissmartypants Sep 2014 #34

Joh Stewart's "Ore on Terror" is worth watching. He hits it out of the park. CrispyQ Sep 2014 #35

My my. hifiguy Sep 2014 #36

so there was something besides the pipeline we were "protecting". why is this niyad Sep 2014 #37

It's more than one trillion. kentauros Sep 2014 #40