Minerals Diplomacy: Can Extractive Industries Enable Peace in the Age of AI?

Theme Icon - Extractivism, Emerging Technologies, and the Energy Transition

Date & Time
Jun 9, 2026 | 15.00 - 16.30

Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TrCiiguxRbyAOCSA0wt2yw

Participants
Saleem Ali, University of Delaware (United States)
Thomas Hale, University of Delaware (United States)

Much of the literature on mineral resources in the social sciences connects them with conflict. There is ample evidence for how the rush for minerals has led to civil unrest through heightened inequality, displacement and environmental harm. However, the current dependence on mineral supply for a new wave of green technologies and the geological determinism of many mineral deposits has opened new pathways for exploring cooperative pathways. Even where initially one may perceive a competitive race for resources as is the case between the United States and China, global supply chains may necessitate cooperation around minerals. This workshop will attempt to delineate the parameters of what we are now calling "Minerals Diplomacy." What are the best ways to link the geoscience and engineering establishment which understands many of the technical underpinnings of mineral sourcing with the political imperatives of trade and investment access? The rise of AI infrastructure will make such mineral supply even more urgent and in turn AI could also help to provide most optimal mineral sourcing pathways. The outcome of the workshop will be published as a short contribution to a high impact journal alongside a policy brief for the United Nations University. Workshop format. The workshop will be facilitated by Saleem Ali and his doctoral student Thomas Hale. Initially a "Firestarter" case study of Greenland will be presented by the organizers to unpack the history of minerals diplomacy building on this recent article: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/political-science/articles/10.3389/fpos.2025.1584988/full We will run most of the workshop as a deliberative process rather than having presentations. Key questions will be posed to the audience with a moderated discussion to respond to those questions. AI note-taker will assist with summarizing the discussion and then we will present the summary for further post-workshop development of the paper which can be jointly authored with workshop participants.