The Electric: A New Geopolitical Melee Erupts Over Battery Metals

Within days of taking office in 2021, President Joe Biden reversed a decision by the Trump administration to lift sanctions on one of the most controversial Western mining executives in central Africa. Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler didn’t merit a reprieve, Biden’s State Department said, alleging that in a two-year period he had corruptly siphoned off more than $1.3 billion in mining profits that rightfully belonged to the Democratic Republic of Congo.