https://von.gov.ng/zimbabwe-bans-all-lithium-exports/
:sicko-biker:
Me, omw to Zimbabwe to open a hipster artisinal mine that does earth-to-tablet locally sourced lithium
This is unfortunate, as the poor will be hurt the worst by this ill-advised decision. How will the government pay for it? Starting industry isn’t cheap especially with capital controls and no foreign investors. This will only embolden the black market, but maybe that’s what their corrupt government officials benefit from? Same mistakes mugabe made.
Neera, does this look like authoritarianism to you? Something the Global Community should do something about, to protect the people of Zimbabwe (who I believe are crying out for help from the West)?
I mean, it’s obviously authoritarianism. The government will subject the poor to horrible conditions. We’ve protected the people of Zimbabwe from Mugabe with sanctions, and it seems we have to step in here as well. If we don’t advocate for the poor, imperialistic China will step in, and impose borderline slavery conditions on workers
It's actually just unprocessed lithium that's banned, lithium concentrates (so not batteries) are still okay for export. So all the professional mining operations with refineries are still going to be okay, mostly Chinese firms as far as I understand.
upset soy DSA guy with glasses: I don't understand, I thought I was going to the regular mines for manly men?
screaming soldier with ushanka and AK: you will put on the hipster outfit and go to the artisanal mines!
Artisanal mining is often the fancy new way for saying "child slaves with pickaxes".
I dont know enough about enough to really weigh in but good luck to the working zimbabwe people.
Resource-rich countries can nearly always (and should) do at least the first stage or two of processing their raw materials domestically. Sugar, coffee, ores, whatever - don't let the West take your raw materials and capture the profit on every stage after the 1st.
What you’re saying is that they should nationalize raw materials extraction and move towards refining and production finished goods.
The problem is that the West keeps the technology for refining and production behind paywalls with patents and since the same bloc tends to dominate trade, a country that subverts such protections often finds itself sanctioned and often couped.
It's not gonna be feasible/efficient/profitable to bring the entire supply chain into one country. They probably aren't gonna spit out finished li-ion batteries. But the first few steps in the value chain, sure.
Keeping all those Kurt Cobain tracks and bipolar meds to themselves
Wasn't Zimbabwe already sanctioned cause the west is still salty about the loss of white supremacist Rhodesia?
Yes. Well, they are salty about the losses Rhodesia took to Zimbabwe.
I hope Zimbabwe roots out all CIA agents and stems the tide of wealth extraction by the first world to the greatest degree possible.
Ok, then what? Imperialist China will swoop in with far worse conditions for workers and more corruption?
Sometimes I forget you're a bit account and get worked up for like half a second. You do good work.
I instantly looked to see what would be the pretext for the incoming sanctions/etc. I predict the US is about to become deeply concerned about the detention of Job Sikhala
Looks like the brutal authoritarianism 1984 strongman firebrand regime of Zimbabwe is forcing the people to cry out for FREEDOM!
Interesting. What I am trying to figure out is if this a part of the multi-polar shift, or is this just Zimbabwe doing haphazard Zimbabwe things? All I can say is I hope they looked towards Bolivia and Venezuela for logistical and cadre advice and aren't just trying to rely purely on tribal affiliations and political structure, as is so popular within Africa. My understanding is that they have a pretty mixed record on the matter. I think they could really succeed if they follow the model of the Bolivians in the event of a soft coup (resign and fly to a safe country to be government in absentia and rely on your street organizations and loyal parts of the military to force the country to a halt until new elections are done and help coordinate your successor's election in the background don't take punitive action against individuals until you have the situation well under control and isolated your opposition to a single city).
Although, I think that the Bolivia thing was more spontaneous on the part of the revolutionary indigenous communities who were able to isolate the cities and control the countryside (ayy look Maoist tactics, even if they likely aren't explicitly Maoists). I mean hell the entire state is literally named after Simon Bolivar, turns out there is alot of revolutionary patriotic fervor just in-baked through historical materialism there. I'm not sure if Zimbabwe has quite the same set-up, I know they used to be among the most elite special forces (with all the bad shit that implies) in Africa at one point, but I haven't been following them militarily for a long time. But their neighbors are fucked up enough right now that they likely can't use this to their advantage, so they are basically betting against the U.S. doing anything outside of special forces bullshit, imo.
Weird to see. Wait and see I guess..
Edit: Ah, Chinese firms are still benefiting from this. Smart move, Zimbabwe. We'll just have to see what China does long term with it.
