May 05, 2023

Latin and South America Are a Key to the United States’ Critical Minerals Puzzle

Europe’s reliance on Russian oil and gas pales in comparison to the United States’ dependence on China for critical minerals. Amid heightened technology competition and a global push toward green energy, China’s dominance of the critical mineral supply chain presents the United States with an unsustainable strategic vulnerability. The United States should cooperate with partners in Latin and South America to mitigate risk and ensure supply chain resilience.

To prepare for such a contingency and reduce its reliance on Beijing, U.S. policymakers should look to Latin and South America.

Critical minerals form the backbone of the digital economy and modern military power. They underpin everything from computers and vacuum cleaners to advanced weapons systems and clean energy technologies like electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels.

Read the full article from The Diplomat.

  • Commentary
    • Sharper
    • November 20, 2024
    Sharper: Trump 2.0

    Donald Trump's return to the White House is widely expected to reshape America's global priorities. With personnel choices and policy agendas that mark a significant break fro...

    By Charles Horn & Gwendolyn Nowaczyk

  • Podcast
    • November 18, 2024
    Team America

    Kate Kuzminski, Deputy Director of Studies, and the Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society (MVS) Program at CNAS, joins to discuss President-elect Donald Trump nomina...

    By Katherine L. Kuzminski

  • Commentary
    • November 14, 2024
    Response to Request For Comment: “Bolstering Data Center Growth, Resilience, and Security”

    CNAS experts emphasize the importance of data centers for artificial intelligence...

    By Janet Egan, Geoffrey Gertz, Caleb Withers & Grace Park

    • Podcast
    • November 12, 2024
    Will Technology Define the Future of Geopolitics?

    Rachel Ziemba, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins Steve Paikin to discuss the era of growing geopolitical tensions paralleled by deepening ...

    By Rachel Ziemba

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia