Turkey’s dealmaking in Somalia over the past decade tends to be assessed in isolation. But when the whole picture is considered a new model of middle power engagement begins to emerge, complete with new risks and structural dependencies.

A new antidumping duty targeting Russian palladium seeks to insulate US domestic capacity of a critical mineral that plays an outsize role in vehicle supply chains. Yet questions continue to swirl around the long-term health of the US palladium market.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has moved from contingency planning into operational reality, unleashing cascading effects across a swathe of commodities markets.

Silver has moved from the periphery to the center of critical mineral geopolitics, and the forces converging on the market could result in a permanent structural shift.

As seen in the recent Orion critical minerals deal, the next chapter of mining consolidation will likely be defined through state-backed consortiums as opposed to organic market forces that culminate in mega-mergers.

The geopolitical importance of Guyana has been underscored by the recent regime change in Venezuela.

Once the backbone of Afghanistan’s rural economy and a pillar of the global heroin trade, the opium sector is now in retreat, reshaping drug markets and security dynamics across the wider region.

The recent US-Finland icebreaker deal has two objectives: close the capability gap with Russia in the High North and thaw out a long-frozen segment of the US shipbuilding industry.

Recent moves by the Trump administration underscore how semiconductors have become inseparable from industrial policy, both in the United States and across the G20.

Small modular reactors (SMRs) can help middle powers meet their renewable energy goals with fewer geopolitical strings attached, with Russia, China, and Canada leading the way. But supply chain bottlenecks and cost uncertainties suggest this won’t be an easy transition.