10 Articles
👁 Miners work along unstable slopes of a ridge
Getting Critical Minerals Certification and Due Diligence Right In the DRC-Rwanda Accord and Beyond (With a Lesson from a Punk Band?)
A concentration on decision-making, investment, and accountability will lead to a more impactful DRC-Rwanda minerals agreement and improve others as well.
Jan. 21, 2026
Brad Brooks-Rubin
👁 Concept image of deep underwater ocean exploration with submarine or rov. (via Getty Images)
The Rulemakers of Deep-Sea Mining: How the U.S. and China Are Competing Beyond Minerals
In the race for critical minerals, those who control the legal and regulatory frameworks will shape who has access and which values define the future of resource extraction.
Oct. 28, 2025
Alexandria Virginski
👁 (L-R) US Vice President JD Vance, US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio listen as Democratic Republic of the Congo Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner during a meeting with her and Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe (not pictured) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 27, 2025. Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed an agreement in Washington on Friday to put an end to a conflict in the eastern DRC that has killed thousands, although broad questions loom on what it will mean. Trump has trumpeted the diplomacy that led to the deal and publicly complained that he has not received a Nobel Peace Prize. But the agreement has also come under scrutiny for its vagueness including on the economic component, with the Trump administration eager to compete with China and profit from abundant mineral wealth in the long-turbulent east of the vast DRC. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. Sanctions Removal on Mining Magnate Would Set Back Peace and Investment in DR Congo
The Trump administration and Congress can end the cycle of looting, smuggling, and violent extraction of raw materials from the DRC and provide a better footing for peace.
Oct. 8, 2025
John Prendergast and Sasha Lezhnev
👁 Granite being mined in Ukraine
The U.S.-Ukraine Agreement: Legality and Transparency
The recently announced mineral deal is likely a lawful “sole executive agreement” that the president need not submit to Congress, but subsequent implementing agreements are…
May 6, 2025
Curtis A. Bradley, Jack Goldsmith and 1 more
👁 Aerial picture of dredges at an illegal gold mining area in the Madre de Dios department, in Peru's southeastern Amazon region, on May 31, 2024. Illegal exploitation is ruthless, despite law enforcement prosecution in Madre de Dios, in southeastern Peru. (Photo by ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP via Getty Images)
Transparency for Minerals is Essential, and No One Can Go It Alone
Despite efforts for transparency, the minerals trade still fuels conflict and corruption; only joint action and accountability can ensure resources benefit communities.
May 2, 2025
Brad Brooks-Rubin
👁 U.S. President Donald Trump (C) and Vice President JD Vance meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House on February 28, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Negotiations at Gunpoint: Does U.S. Pressure on Ukraine for a Minerals Deal Amount to Unlawfully Procuring a Treaty by Use of Force?
Coercion leveraged by the U.S. to secure Ukrainian mineral resources could be deemed use of force, rendering any resulting treaty void.
Apr. 17, 2025
Jeremy Pizzi and Maksym Vishchyk
👁 A M23 soldier stands at the Coltan mining pits in Rubaya on March 5, 2025. He holds a gun. Many people seen in the background.
A Way Out of the DRC’s Proxy War
Today, ribs of gold and other essential treasures are a major driver of one of the deadliest conflicts in the world.
Mar. 28, 2025
Sasha Lezhnev and John Prendergast
👁 The photo shows two men, cropped to only their waists, one of them holding a gold bar between his hands.
Beyond ‘Critical’ Minerals, Don’t Forget Gold’s Role as a Driver of Economic Growth — and Conflict
The UAE has begun to take corrective steps to rein in illicit gold trade. The incoming Trump administration could find lessons there.
Jan. 9, 2025
Brad Brooks-Rubin
👁 The three women wear head coverings and behind them hangs a banner that reads in part "Peace and Justice...Sudan." One of the women holds a sign showing a tank with the words "NO WAR" and a slash across a red circle.
To Challenge State Capture, the US Needs a Strategy of State Retrieval
The democratic world must side with pro-democracy, peace, and anti-corruption movements in Africa and act against corrupt networks.
Sep. 10, 2024
John Prendergast and Damon Wilson
👁 Young boys on a rocky hill side under a blue sky with clouds.
How to Clean Up the Clean Energy Transition: Preventing Violence Over New ‘Conflict Minerals’
Conflicts between industrial and artisanal mining should be considered as the clean energy transition increases the need for certain minerals.
Mar. 6, 2024
Tarek Ghani, Juan S. Lozano and 2 more
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