Global Quest for Critical Minerals - Vlado Vivoda | 2025 Episode 2
02/17/25 • 63 min
The growing importance of critical minerals is reshaping global geopolitics, resource security, and international economic relations.
As the world accelerates its transition towards clean energy technologies and advanced manufacturing, the demand for critical minerals—such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements—has surged, raising new challenges for policymakers and industries alike.
In this discussion with Dr. Vlado Vivoda, we will explore the key issues surrounding critical minerals, focusing on supply chain vulnerabilities, the geopolitical implications of resource dependency, and the strategies needed to ensure secure and sustainable access.
Dr Vlado Vivoda is a renowned scholar and researcher affiliated with the Sustainable Minerals Institute at the University of Queensland, Australia.
His work addresses some of the most pressing global challenges, focusing on the geopolitics of critical minerals, sustainable energy policies, and the strategic impacts of global energy transitions.
He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Resources Policy, one of the world’s premier journals dedicated to the economics and policy dimensions of energy and mineral extraction, production and use.
Content: (1) Strategic Rivalries: Critical Minerals and the US-China Competition; (2) National Security Implications of Critical Minerals; (3) The Weaponisation of Critical Minerals; (4) Competition or Cooperation? State Dynamics in the Critical Minerals Race; (5) The Minerals Security Partnership: Objectives and Impact; (6) Can the Quest for Critical Minerals Spark Conflict?; (7) Neocolonialism in Mineral Extraction Practices; (8) Chinese vs Western Mining Strategies: A Comparative Perspective; (9) Non-State Actors and NGOs in the Critical Minerals Sector; (10) The Disinformation Campaign Against Rio Tinto in Serbia; and (11) Three Underexplored Areas in Critical Minerals Research.
Official Website:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The growing importance of critical minerals is reshaping global geopolitics, resource security, and international economic relations.
As the world accelerates its transition towards clean energy technologies and advanced manufacturing, the demand for critical minerals—such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements—has surged, raising new challenges for policymakers and industries alike.
In this discussion with Dr. Vlado Vivoda, we will explore the key issues surrounding critical minerals, focusing on supply chain vulnerabilities, the geopolitical implications of resource dependency, and the strategies needed to ensure secure and sustainable access.
Dr Vlado Vivoda is a renowned scholar and researcher affiliated with the Sustainable Minerals Institute at the University of Queensland, Australia.
His work addresses some of the most pressing global challenges, focusing on the geopolitics of critical minerals, sustainable energy policies, and the strategic impacts of global energy transitions.
He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Resources Policy, one of the world’s premier journals dedicated to the economics and policy dimensions of energy and mineral extraction, production and use.
Content: (1) Strategic Rivalries: Critical Minerals and the US-China Competition; (2) National Security Implications of Critical Minerals; (3) The Weaponisation of Critical Minerals; (4) Competition or Cooperation? State Dynamics in the Critical Minerals Race; (5) The Minerals Security Partnership: Objectives and Impact; (6) Can the Quest for Critical Minerals Spark Conflict?; (7) Neocolonialism in Mineral Extraction Practices; (8) Chinese vs Western Mining Strategies: A Comparative Perspective; (9) Non-State Actors and NGOs in the Critical Minerals Sector; (10) The Disinformation Campaign Against Rio Tinto in Serbia; and (11) Three Underexplored Areas in Critical Minerals Research.
Official Website:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode
Illusion of Hegemony - Christopher Mott | 2025 Episode 1
Join us for a thought-provoking conversation with Dr Christopher Mott on the shifting landscape of global hegemony, with particular attention to East Asia’s strategic and economic dynamics. We also examine the roles of middle powers, non-state actors, and evolving US foreign policy in shaping the future of international relations.
Content: (1) Defining Hegemony: Historical Roots and Growth; (2) The Post-Hegemonic Age: Myth or Reality?; (3) China’s Hegemonic Ambitions: Emerging Strategies; (4) Hegemony in Decline: Systemic or Cyclical Shifts?; (5) US Hegemony: Erosion or Evolution Ahead?; (6) Global Multipolarity: Adapting to New Power Centres; (7) Middle Powers: Bridging Gaps in Global Governance; (8) Misplaced Fears: Unpacking US Foreign Policy; (9) Non-State Actors: Shaping the Future of Power; and (10) Realism and Dr. Mott: A Research Perspective.
Dr. Mott is a Washington Fellow at the Institute for Peace & Diplomacy and an international relations scholar specialising in geopolitics, strategy, and the intersection of defensive realism and sovereignty.
Selected Publications
The Rise of a Multipolar West Asia: Why the Middle East Resists Hegemony
Turkey: A Middle Power Pioneer
Middle Powers in the Multipolar World
The Formless Empire: A Short History of Diplomacy and Warfare in Central Asia
Polycentrism and the Eurasian Balance of Power
Christopher’s Blog
The Trickster’s Guide to Geopolitics https://geotrickster.com/
The official website:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode
Research Methods & Shifts - Christopher Lamont | 2025 Episode 3
In this interview, Dr Christopher Lamont discusses key methodological developments in international relations research, reflecting on the evolution from the first to the second edition of his work.
He explores interdisciplinarity, mixed research methods, and the role of AI, offering insights into emerging trends and challenges in contemporary political analysis.
Christopher Lamont is Dean of E-Track’s International Relations program and Vice Dean of the Graduate School of International Relations at Tokyo International University in Japan.
Content: (1) Key Differences Between the First and Second Edition; (2) The Role of Interdisciplinarity in Research; (3) Interdisciplinarity: A Researcher’s Motivation or a Structural Pressure?; (4) Current Trends and Applications of Mixed Research Methods; (5) Dr Lamont’s Preferred Mixed Research Methods; (6) Causality and Complexity in Positivist Research Approaches; (7) Real-Time Data Analytics: Balancing Empirical Depth and Immediacy in Political Research; (8) Challenges of Accessibility: The Future of Electronic Sources in Research; (9) Constructivist and Postcolonial Critiques of Traditional Empirical Methodologies; (10) Bridging Local Case Studies and Global Generalisations: Methodological Innovations in IR; (11) The Potential of Multi-Level Network Analysis in Understanding Power Structures; (12) Methodological Challenges in Studying Informal Diplomatic Practices; (13) Research Methods That Need More Focus in the Second Edition; (14) The Role of AI in Research Methodology and Analysis; and (15) Which Research Methods Require Further Exploration for Better Understanding?
Official Website
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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