Critical minerals have replaced oil as the primary driver of 21st-century military and economic leverage. The U.S. has committed $12 billion to break the international monopoly on battery and semiconductor inputs. Ten nations now control the “upstream” energy transition, with China leading in both mining and refining. National security strategies are pivoting from securing oil … Continue reading The Material Mandate: How Critical Minerals are Ending the Age of Oil and Redrawing the Map of Global Power