The Rare Earths Era: Strategic Metals Dependency & World Order

The Rare Earths Era: Strategic Metals Dependency & World Order addresses the centrality of 17 rare metallic elements necessary to the manufacture of a vast panoply of products developed through modern technology and in use worldwideâ€"from smartphones, televisions, computers, and medical scanners to components of the most modern weapons systems in Western arsenals. Rare earths are hence crucial to strategic planning, whether for business, combating climate change, warfare, or ascendancy in world order. Called "rare earths" because of the low concentration in which they are found, which makes their extraction polluting and difficult, the miraculous properties of these elements can endow other materials with an unalterable super magnetism, an amazing hardness or robustness, a unique luminescence or fluorescence, and a special conductivity. The world as we now experience, enjoy and understand it is absolutely dependent on access to these metals in order to produce today's technology. Without that, it's goodbye to modernity. Rare earths may be key to understanding some of the most pressing geopolitical issues of our time. This book addresses the following questions: * How did the world become so dependent and addicted to Chinese rare earth metals? * Will critical minerals provide China with geopolitical leverage? * How will the global needs for rare earths impact the transition to clean energy? * What is the environmental impact of rare earths? * What is the role of the strategic minerals in the de-dollarization process? * Will we see new wars over rare earths resources? * Are critical minerals really on the radar of Western politicians?

About the Author :
Juan Manuel Chomon holds two Master's Degrees in Peace and Security Studies. Contributor to numerous international magazines such as The Diplomat, European Security and Defence Magazine, NATO Joint Air Power and Competence Centre among others, he has also published in prestigious think tanks including the European Union Think Tank and the Spanish Institute of Strategic Studies. He joined the Spanish Air Force in 1996 and holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Review :
"Chomon's book provides a wake-up call with its analysis of questions surrounding strategic minerals and rare earths given how these figure not only into global war machines but provide the foundation for future environmentally sustainable societies as touted in the variety of "green new deals" (GNDs) on offer and so-called sustainable development goals proffered by United Nations development agencies." RICHARD WESTRA, Journal of Contemporary Asia "A very lucid essay that explains how vital rare earths are and issues a warning to the West regarding the control of these minerals in relation to industry and renewable energies. Without a doubt, it is a great prospective work that raises current problems and solutions for the future." Susana Calvo, Editor Chief of Revista de Aeron¡utica y Astron¡utica. Â]Lieutenant Colonel Chomon clearly and exhaustively exposes the current situation regarding the strategic minerals that are necessary to manufacture the technological or defense products that make our lives easier today. This is a book whose pages are a sort of written alarm that awakens us to the not-too-distant future that awaits us.Â] MARIO BORREGO, Chief Director of the Program Â]5 ContinentsÂ] from the Spanish National Radio "Interviews, visits, and trips were carried out around the world. The expeditionary spirit is accompanied by investigative scientific rigor. Thanks to an elegant exercise of analysis and disclosure, Chomon fuses and synthesizes information from many different sources and reveals with great amenity to the reality that lies behind these strategic and critical elements. He demonstrates his brilliant knowledge with respect to so many strategic as well as security issues in the rare earth context bridging the gap between theory and practice." -- Professor Dr. Stefan Bayer, Head of Research German Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies and Co-Course Director of the Master of Military Leadership and International Security of the Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg, Germany. "Chomon embarks us on a fascinating journey into the unknown world of rare earths. His multidisciplinary approach and penetrating view reveals to us the essential role these critical metals play in some of the biggest challenges the world faces in our days. Listening to his call to diversify supply chains and to comply with the global obligation of international collaboration is as crucial as it is urgent." -- ARNAULD AKODJENOU, Senior Advisor for Africa of the Kofi Annan Foundation and Former Inspector General of the United Nations High commissioner for Refugees "Chomon undertakes a deep dive into the rare earth metal supply chains which form the material underpinnings of the modern world, and skillfully articulates how these are impacting Western geopolitical priorities. Underpinning Chomon' work are two primary narratives: the first is the uneasy relationship between rare earth metals' potential to allow humanity to modernize and decarbonize society, and the massive ecological costs of their extraction and processing. The second is China's dominance of the rare earth supply chain at all levels, and whose metals are greatly needed for Western political, economic, and military ambitions to materialize. The interweaving of these two narratives reveals the uneasy tension which sits at the heart of many countries' plans for the future, with no simple solutions apparent." -- MARK CAZELET, Editor in Chief, European Security and Defense. "Chomon's academic and international experience gives him the authority to reach valuable conclusions on such a complex and delicate subject. He is not half-hearted when it comes to pointing out the risks for the West of the Chinese monopoly on rare earths. His ability to disclose is accompanied by accurate data that compel us to reflect and for public authorities to act." -- E. Figueredo, journalist, La Vanguardia, specialized in security matters "Juan Manuel Chomon immerses us in the exciting reality of rare earths, revealing the West's dependence on minerals controlled for now by China and explaining how they could redefine global hegemony, spark resource wars and influence the energy transition. He asks: are we ready to understand how these strategic elements are redrawing the global geopolitical landscape?" -- Christian D. Villaneva, CEO, ArmiesMagazine.com