Mining Is Dead. Long Live Geopolitical Mining: Why Critical Minerals and Strategic Power Will Define the Next Global Order

By Eduardo Zamanillo and Marta Rivera

Mining is Dead. Long Live Geopolitical Mining
How China's Critical Minerals Strategy Is Reshaping the New World Order

While Western capitals lawyered the future, China engineered the supply chain. Critical minerals-lithium, copper, rare earths, nickel, graphite-are no longer commodities; they are the invisible infrastructure of power. From AI and clean energy to defense and space, entire strategies now hinge on who controls the midstream and the downstream.

China understood this first. As the United States, Europe, Canada, and Australia cycled through layered impact assessments, duplicative approvals, and overlapping reviews- a misapplication of well-intended legislation that prioritized form over substance-Beijing invested with long-term vision, built refineries, secured supply chains, and turned critical minerals into political, industrial, and technological sovereignty. It did not stop at extraction: China processed, added value, and consolidated control of the midstream and downstream, transforming resources into true industrial power.

This book is a playbook for the new era of Geopolitical Mining. With up-to-date data, regional comparisons, and a practical framework for decision-makers, it shows how Africa, Latin America, and Asia beyond China are becoming decisive arenas-and what leaders must do before supply chains lock in. Crucially, it explains why symbolism matters: how the stories nations tell about mining-purpose, identity, and meaning-become strategic assets that create trust, legitimacy, and consent.

Sovereign speed as the decisive advantageSymbolism & narrative as the engine of legitimacy and nation-buildingIndustrialization vs. extraction-only dependenceIllegal mining as market and stability riskClean tech, AI, and alliances to redefine the world order

Mining Is Dead is a must-read for policymakers, business leaders, investors, industry professionals, journalists, and anyone interested in how critical minerals are redefining global economics, geopolitics, and technological innovation. It offers practical insights and strategic clarity for navigating the complexities of the 21st-century mining landscape.

Ultimately, this book is not just about minerals, sustainability, or the energy transition; it is about understanding the invisible forces shaping our future. The mining we knew is gone-welcome to the era we call Geopolitical Mining.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 106961064X
• ISBN13: 9781069610645
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Qm Books (Canada)
• Length: 290 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"