Strategic Supply Chains in the New World Order: Rare Earths, Realignment, and Resilience

Abstract

The global realignment of supply chains has elevated rare earth minerals to strategic prominence in the contemporary New World Order. China’s dominance in rare earth processing has enabled it to leverage exports as instruments of geopolitical influence, compelling other nations to pursue mineral sovereignty and supply chain resilience. This article expands the existing scholarship by incorporating recent policy initiatives undertaken by the Government of India through the National Critical Mineral Mission and by the United States through procurement-backed industrial policy and strategic partnerships with private firms. It argues that rare earths have transitioned from industrial inputs to strategic assets shaping national security, technological autonomy, and global power relations.