A critical (minerals) US lesson for India

Taking a page out of George W's playbook, Trump has imposed an international naval blockade - his Iraq being Venezuela, his WMD being narcotics, and his Saddam being fellow strongman Nicolas Moros. This is a 'traditional' Cold War-era tactic Washington has used over time, especially in Latin America. You don't have to be a Kissinger to realise that Venezuela, a country rich not just in oil but also in deposits of bauxite, coltan, gold and rare-earth minerals (worth about $1.36 tn), is in Trump's crosshairs for reasons other than waging 'war against evil/drugs'.

Rare-earth is central to US national security and global supply chains, especially after China tightened the spigot in retaliation to Trump tariffs. The US is also scouting for more conventional routes in the form of forming strategic groups to secure rare-earth minerals, such as Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) and Pax Silica, with countries like Australia, Canada, Japan, Finland, Germany, South Korea and Britain. India is notably left outside Club Rare-Earth.

Trump deals with Ukraine and Kazakhstan, Rwanda-DRC peace deal, dumping an assiduously-built relationship with India for Pakistan, all have one thing in common: the desire of the US to secure access to critical minerals. Meanwhile, China is doing something similar with its International Economic and Trade Cooperation Initiative on Green Mining and Minerals, a supply chain bloc to counter the West, with its minerals-rich allies like Zimbabwe, Cambodia and Nigeria. Again, India does not, understandably, have a foot in this door. While it may lack leverage, New Delhi will, at some point, need to get a critical minerals supply policy off the ground. Building nirbharta conduits on this front is urgently called for.