Rare Earths, Great Power Politics

Rare earth elements (REEs) are not a single mineral, but a family of 17 metallic elements, the 15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium. These are “relatively abundant” yet difficult to extract and refine economically because they occur in low concentrations and require complex separation chemistry. Their importance is disproportionate to their volume: tiny quantities enable the high-performance components that power...