How to Avoid a New Cold War over Critical Minerals

Nov 22, 2022 | Cullen Hendrix
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Will the 21st century be the century of the green great game? In the early 20th century, then-First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill oversaw the conversion of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy from coal- to oil-powered ships. Oil was comparatively more energy-dense, easier to transport, and allowed ships to travel farther faster. But the transition to oil-fueled navies in the 20th century meant that, for the first time, projecting military might would require most major powers to rely on energy sources over which they were not sovereign. This put in motion a scramble by these countries to secure access to oil and later natural gas. This was the 20th century’s great game, with “the prize,” as author Daniel Yergin put it, being economic and military supremacy.