Australia is testing a new model of resource security that blends alliance politics with balance-sheet discipline. Canberra is prepared to sell equity-style stakes in a forthcoming national stockpile of critical minerals to a small circle of partners, initially the United Kingdom, with interest from the United States and France.

The concept is straightforward but novel: allied governments or their export credit agencies would provide cash up front and commit to draw specified volumes over time; in return, they would hold a contractual claim on a defined share of the reserve’s inventory. Instead of a traditional, government-only hoard that sits idle until a crisis, Australia’s reserve would function as a club asset, pre-financed by its users and rotated to match industrial demand.

On January 16, French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu visited Norway, marking a significant step toward closer defense cooperation between the two nations. During the visit, Lecornu and Norwegian Defence Minister Bjørn Arild Gram signed a letter of intent aimed at deepening security and defense ties…

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s decision to maintain its newly introduced cobalt export quota system marks a significant shift in how the world’s largest supplier of this critical mineral intends to wield its market power. By moving away from an outright export ban toward managed quotas, Kinshasa is signaling that it seeks not only to stabilize prices but also to exert greater sovereignty over a sector that has long been dominated by foreign companies, particularly Chinese firms.

With the global transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy accelerating, cobalt’s strategic importance makes Congo’s policies a matter of international consequence. Cobalt is indispensable for the production of lithium-ion batteries, powering everything from smartphones to electric cars to grid storage systems.