The breakaway region of Somaliland offered the US a critical minerals deal in exchange for diplomatic recognition, becoming the latest territory to leverage resources for favorable treatment from Washington.
This month, various camps in Myanmar’s internecine conflict pitched Washington on a plan to divert the country’s rare earths exports from China in exchange for eased sanctions.
Elsewhere, Washington has prioritized minerals in its push for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo and signed a deal with Kyiv giving it preferential access to Ukraine’s resources in exchange for reconstruction help, a recognition of US dependence on mineral imports.
“We need to start yesterday in terms of really shoring up that supply chain,” a US lawmaker told Axios in May.
