The New Critical Minerals Race – Why the US-China Rivalry Will Be Decided in the Global South
Critical minerals have become the centerpiece of the U.S.-China rivalry, but the contest is playing out in Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America. While China dominates mid‑stream processing of rare earths and battery materials, Washington is building "friend‑shoring" partnerships to diversify supply. The competition reflects two divergent development models: China’s state‑backed, vertically integrated projects versus the West’s standards‑based, multi‑partner alliances. Resource‑rich nations are increasingly using mineral wealth to drive industrialisation rather than merely exporting raw ore.
Electric Vehicles and Industrial Policy Could Transform African Economies
African nations sit atop a critical share of the world’s cobalt and other minerals essential for electric‑vehicle batteries, yet most of the value is still captured abroad. The author argues that proactive industrial policy—mirroring China’s use of special economic zones,...
With TrumpRx Is America Reforming Its Pharmaceutical Market, or Simply Rebranding Prices?
The Trump administration launched TrumpRx, a website aggregating manufacturer discounts on 43 brand‑name drugs and touting presidential credit for lower patient costs. Early analysis shows that 20 of the listed products already have cheaper generic versions, and the portal deliberately...
Peripheral Regions Are Overtaking Big Cities as Laboratories of Economic Resilience
New technologies enable small countries and mid‑size regions to out‑pace megacities as testing grounds for AI‑driven governance, renewable energy, and bio‑industrial innovation. Examples from Estonia, Uruguay, Kansas, and Singapore show rapid prototyping of digital services, local energy grids, and agri‑tech...