⌝ Arno Saffran | 5 Minute Read

U.S. supply chain diversification is vital, yet exclusion of Chinese firms like CATL may hinder technological progress; strategic collaboration and better data are essential to balance security, innovation, and resilience.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 5 Minute Read

Europe’s rare-earth ambitions underscore a simple reality: China’s decades-built leadership in supply and processing remains indispensable to global industry and technological progress.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 5 Minute Read

African mineral deals stall not on geology or capital, but on trust, state alignment and execution credibility—the one capability that consistently converts memoranda into operating mines.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 5 Minute Read

When I look at the debate in Western capitals about Chinese EPC dominance, what strikes me isn’t the geopolitical noise—it’s how misaligned that noise is with what actually drives commercial outcomes on the ground.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 5 Minute Read

As Trump brokers Russia-Ukraine peace, a U.S.-China rare earth dialogue becomes strategically inevitable—forging stability through negotiation, not fragmentation, is the only viable path forward.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 5 Minute Read

China’s mining dominance stems from its hybrid operators who master local terrain—a human advantage no Western policy pact can replicate.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 2 Minute Read

Brandon Lewis's vetted role at LetterOne demonstrates how regulated influence and strategic capital can coexist with national energy security priorities.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 5 Minute Read

How Western strategists keep underestimating Russia's mineral hand - and why it matters more than ever: This analysis reflects the complex realities of global mineral politics and the need for strategic thinking in an increasingly multipolar world.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 5 Minute Read

Effective market access in complex environments depends on early, discreet relationship-building. We examine how formal processes follow human alignment.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 5 Minute Read

China’s critical minerals dominance is no accident—it is the reward for a long game the West failed to play. Decades of strategic foresight built an ecosystem, not just an industry. Now, the U.S. is left with only one viable move: negotiation.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 5 Minute Read

David Baron's integrated strategy proves extractive bids are won pre-RFP. Success demands non-market mastery—stakeholder alignment, cultural fluency, and strategic foresight—long before the tender document is drafted.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 2 Minute Read

The West's new pacts acknowledge, but cannot quickly undo, China's long-term strategic dominance of the entire critical minerals value chain.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 5 Minute Read

We consider how In frontier markets, commercial success depends on mapping influence networks. VSG quantifies stakeholders—gatekeepers, veto players, and champions—turning human and political capital into measurable assets for extractive-sector market entry.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 5 Minute Read

The recent ExxonMobil-Gabon MoU reveals a long-term calculus where success will be determined by the quality of stakeholder alignment, not merely the technical bid.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 5 Minute Read

China’s 2025 trade deal, suspending mineral export controls until 2026, provides a hard deadline for the West to build resilient supply chains, testing its ability to match Beijing’s strategic discipline.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 2 Minute Read

By understanding China’s strategy and building early relationships, Western companies can capitalize on critical minerals partnerships and lead in China’s global expansion.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 2 Minute Read

The Source of Eurasia’s Oil. Current data on Eurasia’s major producers and regional partners.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 5 Minute Read

UK sanctions have triggered a fundamental pivot at Yulong Petrochemical, locking in its reliance on Russian crude. The refiner's success now hinges on its ability to cultivate a resilient network of aligned partners to secure and legitimize these flows.

⌝ Arno Saffran & Ari Steinmetz | 5 Minute Read

To compete with state-backed giants, extractive firms need a new archetype of leader: the commercial diplomat, mastering geopolitics and pre-RFP relationship-building to secure value.

⌝ Arno Saffran | 10 Minute Read

The real story of the Middle Corridor isn't just about trade diversification; it's the most significant, untapped business development arena for EPCI, infrastructure, and extractive companies today. The winners won't be those who wait for the FID, but those who shape the deals now.