Geopolitical Risk & Critical Minerals Trade
Examine critical minerals through the lens of geopolitics and international trade — U.S.-China competition, the Minerals Security Partnership, WTO dispute mechanisms, the Inflation Reduction Act, EU Critical Raw Materials Act, and how trade policy is reshaping global supply chains.
Metals U Education
Program Features
- Self-paced
- Online
- Interactive LMS Content
- Blockchain-based Certificate
Program Features
- Self-paced
- Online
- Interactive LMS Content
- Blockchain-based Certificate
Description
Critical Minerals at the Center of the New Geopolitical Competition
The global competition for critical minerals has become one of the defining geopolitical contests of our era. China's dominance in processing capacity, combined with the energy transition's insatiable demand for battery and clean-tech metals, has thrust mineral supply chains to the top of the national security and trade policy agendas of the U.S., EU, and allied nations.
This course examines the geopolitical and trade dimensions of critical minerals, drawing on resources from the U.S. State Department, CSIS, Brookings Institution, PIIE, WTO dispute settlement frameworks, and the legal architecture of the Inflation Reduction Act and EU Critical Raw Materials Act.
Who This Class Is For
- Trade policy and international relations professionals
- Corporate geopolitical risk analysts
- Investors in the mining, energy, and technology sectors
- Diplomatic and government affairs professionals
Program Syllabus
Module 1: The Geopolitics of Critical Minerals
Why minerals are geopolitically sensitive. China's resource strategy and processing dominance. The concept of weaponized interdependence.
Module 2: U.S. Policy Architecture
Executive Order 13953 and the critical minerals strategy. Inflation Reduction Act: EV tax credits and free trade agreement requirements. Defense Production Act invocations. State Department Minerals Security Partnership.
Module 3: EU Policy Architecture
EU Critical Raw Materials Act. Strategic Projects mechanism. CRMA benchmarks for domestic extraction and processing. EU-U.S. Critical Minerals Agreement.
Module 4: China's Mineral Strategy
Processing dominance across battery metals, REEs, and specialty materials. Export restrictions on gallium, germanium, and graphite. Overseas investment and the Belt and Road Initiative.
Module 5: WTO, Trade Disputes & Investment Screening
WTO rules and critical mineral trade restrictions. Key dispute cases. CFIUS and allied investment screening mechanisms. Navigating the tension between free trade and supply security.
Module 6: Allied Coordination & the Path to Resilience
The Minerals Security Partnership member countries and projects. Friend-shoring and ally-shoring strategies. Long-term scenarios for supply chain rebalancing. Risks and limitations of decoupling approaches.