In the battle for future technologies, Afghanistan is relevant once more

A drugs lord has become the gatekeeper for critical minerals & rare earths, as America tells the Taliban to cease business with China

Bashir Noorzai is as dangerous as he is charismatic: a narco-tycoon whose shadow stretches far beyond the global heroin trade into the heart of the Taliban regime that he helped to create. After serving almost two decades in an American prison, he is back in Kandahar, again controlling Afghanistan’s vast drugs empire and, more recently, its untapped mineral wealth.

Afghanistan has long been viewed through the prism of conflict and military intervention. Now it is emerging as a key player in the global competition for critical resources. Lithium, copper, and rare earth elements, all essential for future technologies and military capabilities, have transformed the country into a strategic prize in the battle for control of the world’s most valuable assets.