Very true Dark Poet, but i think all the military pushing over there in Afganistan is costing us way more than the usa will ever gain back in resourse revenues, especially when the usa still has emense ore resources that are un exploited here in the states

one cant deny the real reson we were in Afganistan in 89 was simply to oppose the soviets, just like today its to seeek vengence on the terrorists that attack the western way of life,,,,,,also for stategic reasons, note since the afganistan and iraq invasions the usa has not been attacked directly, why come here to kill us when we are over there in your perverbial faces

, in a chess game if i come over to your side of the board with a queen , rook and two knights, you arent going to have the pleasure of keeping tempo and continuing to attack my king when yours is in jepardey are yu?

i am not saying economic gains are not sought by the greedy opertunisers in this war
because economic gains in those regions are far outwieghed by the cost of opperations there (thus making the economic motivation a spurious corelation)

i am saying that economics is not the primary focus of such military endevors

it is more about security and ideas