President Trump announced an agreement with China to resume rare earth minerals exports, ending supply disruptions. China's chokehold on rare earth supply chains and resulting leverage necessitate investment into alternative supply, says Gracelin Baskaran. csis.org/analysis/trump…

“China’s going to want to maintain leverage,” said Gracelin Baskaran of the critical minerals security program at CSIS. China’s dominance “puts American companies at direct risk given that any sort of agreements that have been made can be reneged on.” wsj.com/world/asia/tru…

Gracelin Baskaran CSIS China’s decision this year to cut back on exports of the magnets for just a couple of months sent shock waves through the global auto, electronics and defense industries. That helped drive the U.S. and China back to the bargaining table this week. wsj.com/world/asia/tru…

"The centrality of rare earth export restrictions to the trade deal underscores the criticality of minerals to the U.S. economy as well as the severity of the chokehold Beijing holds on global supply chains," writes CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program. Read more: csis.org/analysis/trump…

The US can't counter Chinese mineral dominance because it doesn't consume enough minerals. The only option is to work with allies. Nice work by Gracelin Baskaran (Gracelin Baskaran) (Exports are generally less crucial to China than is assumed--its own market is massive.)

Read her CSIS report here csis.org/analysis/build…

Gracelin Baskaran CSIS everybody has a different objective in creating a critical minerals list, which is why there are so many. Where there’s a high degree of vulnerability will determine the criticality of the mineral #londonindaba #joburgindaba

"The most impactful role the United States can play is to help foster a more enabling environment for private sector investment in the DRC’s mining sector," notes CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program expert Gracelin Baskaran. Read more on U.S.-DRC cooperation here: csis.org/analysis/turni…

To be effective, a minerals deal with the DRC must go beyond handshake diplomacy to catalyze private investments in this high-risk yet strategically critical jurisdiction, writes CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program expert Gracelin Baskaran. Read more: csis.org/analysis/turni…

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act impacts key mining policies. While the bill boosts stockpile funding and tightens restrictions on Chinese entities, it lacks a clear demand-side strategy, creating uncertainty for downstream manufacturers, says CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program. csis.org/analysis/impac…

US copper production and processing in blue. Tariffs must be aligned to domestic capabilities. 50% tariffs are not.

CSIS mourns the loss of our Chief Communications Officer, Andrew Schwartz. For 20 years, he led with vision and integrity, shaping how CSIS engaged the world. His leadership, mentorship, and legacy in strategic communications will have a lasting impact: csis.org/analysis/memor…

Gracelin Baskaran joined Bloomberg Bloomberg to discuss the new Department of Defense partnership with MP Materials and the commercial agreement between Apple and MP Materials. Watch the full video at the link here: bloomberg.com/news/videos/20…

We were really thrilled and grateful to release this report with a launch briefing at the Capitol yesterday featuring remarks from Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, M.D. and a great panel discussion with Skanda Amarnath, Gracelin Baskaran, Roy Houseman, and Scott Gemperline.

The CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program Program has just launched a new explainer series—Mapping Minerals Diplomacy. In the first episode, we focus on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), exploring why the United States is pursuing a minerals-for-security agreement and aiming to fast-track

As conflict intensifies between the DRC and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, President Félix Tshisekedi is offering US access to critical mineral resources in exchange for security assistance. Gracelin Baskaran and Gécamines Chairman Guy Robert Lukama discuss: youtube.com/watch?v=P4Cbgp…

Why does the DRC's geology matter? Gracelin Baskaran discusses. Its copper ore grades are 4x the global average and the country produces 74% of the world’s cobalt. It's no surprise that in 2024, it attracted $130.7M in exploration investment, surpassing countries like Indonesia and

"Copper is indispensable to every pillar of U.S. security—national, economic, and energy-related," notes CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program. The United States needs much more copper quickly in order to accomplish economic and technological goals. Read here: csis.org/analysis/rethi…

Hubs are all the rage and are a compelling option for developing rare earth capacity. CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program colleagues Gracelin Baskaran and Meredith Schwartz evaluate the options in a new white paper.

NEW: CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program expert Gracelin Baskaran and Maaden CEO Bob Wilt discuss how Saudi Arabia can be a key strategic partner for the U.S. in heavy rare earth and critical mineral security. Watch here: youtube.com/watch?v=C6IRjt…