Reagan’s Star Wars: How America strikes back against China’s critical minerals empire

Published September 2, 2026 11:00am ET



Critical minerals are the strategic resource in today’s version of the Cold War. These raw materials, which require sophisticated and complex techniques to extract and process, will largely dictate U.S. success or failure in that geopolitical contest. Their applications span the aerospace, defense, electronics, energy, medical, and transportation sectors. 

Fortunately, after years of lagging in the critical minerals domain, the United States is working hard to turn things around. 

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