The Political Economy of Rare Earth Elements ― Rising Powers and Technological Change

Rare earths are seventeen elements on the periodic table that comprise the lanthanides, metallic elements which, when combined with other substances, form materials with unique magnetic, conductive, and energy storage properties. Rare earths are crucial for human prosperity, security, and peace, enabling activities ranging from social networking and internet surfing to flying waging wars. The contributors argue that rare earths are essential to the information technology revolution on which humans have come to depend for communication, commerce, and, increasingly, engage in conflict. Therefore, safeguarding ready access to rare earths ensures that humans will continue to reap the social, economic, and political benefits of information, transportation, energy production and energy storage technologies. This edited volume demonstrates that rare earths are a strategic commodity over which political actors will and do struggle for control.

Ryan David Kiggins is Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, USA. His research interests include emerging security threats and risks associated with information technology, technological dependence, and emergent technologies. He has published on the normative origins of US internet governance policy and US cyber security policy, on the political economy of US cyber security policy and the use of social media technologies during violent conflict.