Afghanistan is surrendering its mineral wealth – and its future

(Javed Noorani, Lynne O’Donnell – Lowy The Interpreter) Afghanistan is giving away its mineral wealth. Through a pattern of deals that export value at the point of extraction, the country is surrendering control over what could – and should – be its greatest hope for a stable and prosperous future. This is not accidental. Nor is it the inevitable result of geography, decades of war, or even the nature of Taliban rule. It is the outcome of contracts that prioritise immediate cash over long-term management. Raw ore is being shipped out as Afghanistan signs away its most valuable assets on terms that lock in its own irrelevance. This is not simply mismanagement. It is a transfer of value. Afghanistan is exporting its resources at the lowest end of the chain, while others – above all China – capture the processing, pricing and strategic leverage that follow. In a sector defined by control, that is the difference between power and poverty. Beneath Afghanistan’s mountains sits one of the most concentrated reserves of critical minerals in the world: lithium, rare earths, copper, cobalt – the materials that power batteries, semiconductors, renewable energy and modern weapons. – Afghanistan is surrendering its mineral wealth – and its future | Lowy Institute