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Africa is the Off-Ramp Middle Powers Need

Middle powers like Canada, Germany, and Brazil are caught in an escalating geopolitical vice. As protectionist sentiment in Washington creates new trade barriers, middle powers face growing pressure to seek alternative markets. However, reflexively pivoting toward Beijing carries significant strategic risks. China currently holds a near-monopoly on critical mineral processing, controlling over 90 percent of global battery-grade graphite and rare earth elements. Trading economic reliance on the United States for strategic dependence on China does not deliver autonomy; it merely exchanges one vulnerability for another. The true, sustainable off-ramp for middle powers lies across the Atlantic by deepening strategic trade partnerships with African economies. Long relegated to the periphery of Western foreign policy or viewed through the outdated lens of foreign aid, the African continent is undergoing a massive structural transformation. Driven by the African Continental Free Trade ...
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Africa is the Off-Ramp Middle Powers Need

Middle powers like Canada, Germany, and Brazil are caught in an escalating geopolitical vice. As protectionist sentiment in Washington creates new trade barriers, middle powers face growing pressure to seek alternative markets. However, reflexively pivoting toward Beijing carries significant strategic risks. China currently holds a near-monopoly on critical mineral processing, controlling over 90 percent of global battery-grade graphite and rare earth elements. Trading economic reliance on the United States for strategic dependence on China does not deliver autonomy; it merely exchanges one vulnerability for another. The true, sustainable off-ramp for middle powers lies across the Atlantic by deepening strategic trade partnerships with African economies. Long relegated to the periphery of Western foreign policy or viewed through the outdated lens of foreign aid, the African continent is undergoing a massive structural transformation. Driven by the African Continental Free Trade ...
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Trade as a National Security Strategy

For years, the conventional wisdom among political and economic leaders has been that expanded global trade leads to peace. This belief, rooted in liberal theory, suggests that countries with strong economic ties are less likely to go to war. However, in an increasingly competitive world, this idea is being challenged. Trade is no longer simply a neutral economic activity; it has become a powerful tool of national strategy. The Strategic Imperative of Trade Policy The long-standing economic partnership between the United States (U.S.) and China offers a clear example of this new reality. While Americans have enjoyed the benefits of inexpensive goods from China, this engagement has also contributed to China’s emergence as a major global power and military competitor. Since the 1990s, Beijing’s economic growth has funded a significant expansion of its armed forces and a shift toward manufacturing its own advanced military technology....
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