Polish analyst examines why the EU is increasingly susceptible to blackmail over critical rare earth metal supplies.
Strategic Resources as Weapons
Recent years have painfully reminded everyone that strategic raw materials can become weapons. This occurs when a dominant supplier acts like a cunning dealer threatening to cut off desired goods to desperate customers.
In 2021-2022, Vladimir Putin demonstrated this approach with gas and oil, consequences of which are still felt today in energy prices and geopolitical instability.
Russian Blackmail as Prelude
It doesn’t require expert analysis to recognize that Russian blackmail against Europe was merely a prelude to greater challenges ahead.
The real test of EU resilience will come from China, whose leverage extends far beyond the energy sector.
Rare Earth Metals Dependency
While EU dependence on Russian gas was significant, it pales in comparison to the bloc’s reliance on rare earth metals (REE).
China controls almost monopolistic supplies of these critical materials, which are extracted and refined to an unprecedented degree by the Middle Kingdom.
