August 24, 2021

This edition will focus on the Afghanistan withdrawal – both how we got here and the potential problem it creates for the clean energy industry.

The Sad History of the Afghan war over Four Presidencies

This story tells how a war with the clear objective of capturing or killing the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks morphed into a futile nation-building exercise and then a losing quagmire.

Bush, Obama, Trump, Biden: How four presidents created today’s Afghanistan mess – CNNPolitics

What the Taliban were telling us when we listened

A US Air Force intelligence officer assigned to monitor Taliban communications in support of our troops wrote both an inspiring and sobering account of what he learned about them and Afghanistan during his tours of duty. We are all lucky to have military members with the dedication, skill and courage this author showed during his service there.

What I Learned While Eavesdropping on the Taliban – The Atlantic

The Crisis for Clean Energy

The Taliban inherit mineral wealth worth trillions of dollars. In particular, Afghanistan has been called the Saudi Arabia of lithium, an essential element of batteries and other renewable energy sources. We may have to accept the Taliban and their radical Islam in order to meet the ambitious clean energy goals of the Biden Administration.  Otherwise, China and Russia will end up controlling the lithium reserves and require us to buy from them, endangering our broader national security. 

Under the Taliban, what will happen to Afghanistan’s minerals? — Quartz (qz.com)