June, 15 2010, 02:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
Afghanistan's $1 Trillion "Resource Curse"
WASHINGTON
MICHAEL KLARE
Klare is author of Resource Wars and Rising Powers,
Shrinking Planet. In response to recent reports of $1 trillion in
mineral resources found in Afghanistan, he said today: "The discovery
and development of these mineral reserves in Afghanistan -- described as
a potential boon to that country by General [David] Petraeus -- would
be an unmitigated disaster under existing conditions. Because
Afghanistan lacks a functioning democracy and an indigenous mining
capacity, it would be reliant on foreign firms for technical services,
which in turn would be beholden to local officials -- read warlords --
for the necessary authorizations and protection. The result would be a
classic case of the 'resource curse' -- the development of resources not
for the good of the masses but for privileged elites, leading to
ingrained corruption, authoritarianism, and violence."
Klare is Five College Professor of Peace and World Security Studies
at Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass.
See: "The
Resource Curse: Why Lithium May Spell Misery for Afghanistan"
Klare also recently wrote the piece "The
Relentless Pursuit of Extreme Energy: A New Oil Rush Endangers the Gulf
of Mexico and the Planet."
A nationwide consortium, the Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) represents an unprecedented effort to bring other voices to the mass-media table often dominated by a few major think tanks. IPA works to broaden public discourse in mainstream media, while building communication with alternative media outlets and grassroots activists.
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Two decades after they were tortured by U.S. military contractors at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, three Iraqi victims are finally getting their day in court Monday as a federal court in Virginia takes up a case they brought during the George W. Bush administration.
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