Every time I read one of those Monday hand-wringings op-ed in the NY Times or the Financial Times regarding Afghanistan (here) I think now of Lithium and the old Tom Lehrer bit from my youth - Vietnam era youth at that.
Not being able to resist, I wrote the other day (and I quote): Others who have had lengthy and disastrous sojourns into that place have done so as persons trying to put down the Afghan people and have not used the country to fight a cross border enemy. Trying to legitimize the current regime with money and guns while putting on the mighty crown of a noble cause is pretty much a sure recipe for disaster just in case Vietnam has slipped anyone's mind.
Now with Lithium and other minerals of interest our economic interests (which translates to the big money crowd) are in play and that will be one more \"off-center\" reason to last another decade - or two.