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Africa

China’s Critical Mineral Strategy and the Structure of Strategic Competition

Archive, Defense & Security, Economics & Trade, Government & Politics, Strategic AdversariesAfrica, alternative materials, China, China–Japan Rare Earths dispute, cobalt, copper, critical minerals, defense procurement, domestic production, economic coercion, electric vehicles, export, export restrictions, F-35 fighter jets, geopolitical security, graphite, industrial production, investment planning, lithium, military aircraft, mineral reserves, mining, National defense, price volatility, processing dominance, radar systems, rare Earth minerals, recycling technologies, refining, refining infrastructure, semiconductors, solar panels, stockpiles, strategic competition, strategic vulnerability, submarines, supply chain, supply chain diversification, Tomahawk missiles, U.S. dependency, unmanned aerial vehicles

China’s Critical Mineral Strategy and the Structure of Strategic Competition

Holden Johansen0 Comments

Published: July 2, 2026 China's dominance of the rare-earth mineral supply chain gives Beijing a powerful tool of economic coercion against rival states. Vital rare-earth minerals like cobalt, copper, lithium,…

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The Return of the United States Primacy

Archive, Defense & Security, Emerging Threats, Strategic AdversariesAbraham Accords, Africa, air strikes, alliances, allies, belt and road initiative, China, Defense Spending, Democratic Republic of Congo, Deterrence, Donald Trump, Foreign Policy, Gaza, Iran, Middle East, military power, NATO, nuclear facilities, Operation Midnight Hammer, peace deal, peace through strength, peacemaker, primacy, Russia, Rwanda, Todd Clawson, Trump Doctrine, two-state solution, Ukraine, unipolar moment, United States, Washington, world power broker

The Return of the United States Primacy

Todd Clawson0 Comments

The death of the United States’ unipolar moment is exaggerated. Foreign policy experts claiming the United States is on the decline and international relations are headed to multipolarity are less…

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Countering Russia’s Influence in Africa: Strategy and Actions

Archive, Strategic AdversariesAfrica, Africa Lion, African Culture, China, Diplomacy, EU, Libya, military, partnership, Russia, South Africa, Sudan, Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership, West Africa

Countering Russia’s Influence in Africa: Strategy and Actions

Mohamed ELDoh0 Comments

The Russian presence in Africa significantly expanded in recent years, especially following the restructuring of the Wagner Group, now renamed Africa Corps. The coups that took place in several African…

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Russia’s Influence in Africa: Understanding the Big Picture

Archive, Strategic AdversariesAfrica, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, EU, European, gold mines, ISIS, Libya, logistics, Mali, NATO, Navy, Niger, red sea, Russia, Sudan, Wagner group

Russia’s Influence in Africa: Understanding the Big Picture

Mohamed ELDoh0 Comments

A concerning trend in Africa is developing. Political instability is increasing. This trend is reflected in military coups that occurred in African countries between 2020 and 2024. For example, Presidential…

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Africa’s (Modern) Slavery Problem

DevelopmentAfrica, Angola, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Liberia, Mauritania, Sierra Leone

Africa’s (Modern) Slavery Problem

Joanna Rozpedowski

From rubies in Mozambique to emeralds in Zambia, opals in Australia, and Jade in Myanmar, the mining industry is undergoing an extraction renaissance that is as profitable as it is…

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Don’t Buy the Hype on Russia in Africa

Deterrence & Foreign PolicyAfrica, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Russia, South Sudan, Sudan

Don’t Buy the Hype on Russia in Africa

Cameron Evers

In Africa, Russia seeks more friends, more money, and more influence to offset U.S.-imposed economic isolation, while reasserting Russia’s role as a global power. On May 28th, Moscow announced a…

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Cyber Insecurity is Harming Emerging Markets

Economics & TradeAfrica, Cyber Security, Indonesia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa

Cyber Insecurity is Harming Emerging Markets

Spandana Singh

Emerging Market Businesses Want to Grow, But Can They Succeed Without Cybersecurity? Data breaches seem to be the name of the game in tech this year, and the latest, a…

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Africa and the Middle East

Defense & SecurityAfrica, Middle East, Northern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa

Africa and the Middle East

GSR Staff

Virtually all of the region's tendencies are going in the wrong direction. Continuing conflict and lack of political and economic reform threaten poverty reduction, the area's one last bright spot. …

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