Occasional Paper

No crisis: the implications of U.S dependence on Southern African strategic minerals

The United States is dependent on minerals from outside its borders and for this reason there is a concern about minerals security, but the author is of the meaning that this dependency on South Africa for mineral resources is greatly exaggerated and that is distorts and misrepresents much of the evidence, as it is not a credible threat and does not focus on America’s policies to combat the problem. The types of minerals and problems to be expected is discussed however the evidence and assumptions made does not substantiate the claim that America will be vulnerable in the event of supply cutoffs. The suggestion is made that the minerals policy should be reviewed to minimize the threat.