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A New Venture Between the United States and Saudi Arabia

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman capped off his visit to the United States by summarizing the two nations’ recent agreements, which include a defense pact and (more important to the readers of this article) an agreement that allows the United States to access Saudi rare earth minerals. This is being portrayed as a huge win for the United States, as Saudi Arabia allegedly has the fourth-highest level of mineral resources in the world. The goal of such a deal, obviously, is to wean the United States away from China’s monopoly over these minerals, which are used in everything from cell phones to fighter jets.