Afghanistan: The Significance of Mineral Wealth

In a June 13 story, The New York Times revived interest in Afghanistan's potential mineral wealth, which has long been suspected. The country's mountainous terrain indicates the likelihood of such deposits, and in 2007 the U.S. Geological Survey published a study reporting much of what is being said in the media today. But the challenges of extracting the minerals and bringing them to market in an economical and competitive way remain extraordinarily daunting.