In the latest episode of my podcast, I speak with David Abraham, author of The Elements of Power, about China’s dominance of rare earth elements and magnets, and whether the West can build up an alternative supply chain.
You can also listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
David recently wrote an excellent article in the New Republic: “How the United States Lost the Rare Earth Materials War to China.”
His book was one of the first to warn of our reliance on China for niche minereals such as rare earths. I reviewed it for the Financial Times when it first came out in 2015 - at time when few in the West seemed to care about the issue.
Nearly a decade after his book Abraham reflects on how little has changed — and why.
We explore how China’s state-led strategy outmaneuvered market-driven Western approaches, why Japan doubled down on China even after a supply shock, and what lessons the U.S. and Europe must learn if they hope to build resilient supply chains.
From the US policy during the Second World War to today’s EV and clean tech ambitions, this conversation unpacks the economic, geopolitical, and industrial stakes of the rare earth race.
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