Did we just pass up a $1 trillion opportunity in Afghanistan?, Where do the Taliban get their funding, Who are the Haqqani Network and what is their relationship with Pakistan? and more
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Retired US Diplomat to 5 different nations David Hunter shares his knowledge, passion, interest, and experience.
Today's Agenda:
1) Did we just pass up a $1 trillion opportunity in Afghanistan?: There are rumors that Afghanistan may be sitting on mountains of rare earth materials including lithium. A classified 2010 Pentagon memo called Afghanistan 'the Saudi Arabia of Lithium'. That is the material now in short supply to produce electric car batteries. Since electric cars are the wave of the future, there is big demand for this scare mineral. Does the Taliban takeover mean China will get all the access to this?
2) Where do the Taliban get their funding ---is it a narco-state? The Taliban were known in recent years to be in charge of vast opium and heroin production and supply chains. Some estimates are they got 50% of their funding from such narcotics trafficking. Now that they are 'in charge' in Afghanistan, will that change?
3) Who are the Haqqani Network and what is their relationship with Pakistan? We have all heard about the Taliban but not much about their partner the Haqqani Network. But the Haqqani members were in control of Taliban checkpoints in Kabul and around the Hamid Karzai Airport, in close proximity to our US troops. What do you know about them?
4) Did Pakistan play a role in the Taliban's Recent Conquest of Afghanistan?: Wrote the Brookings Institute last week "It is fair to assume that the ISI helped the Taliban plan its blitzkrieg this summer." And the WSJ reported on Aug 30, 2021 that Pakistan intelligence (ISI) was helping Taliban gather up computer records from Afghan government giving names, addresses and payroll info on Afghan special operations forces, to be used to track them down and kill them. What's happening in Pakistan?
