Rare Earth Metals Becoming Political Tools

International trade & commerce are good for us all - it is less likely that countries doing business with each other will go to war. There are however some potential risks as illustrated by this article.

China: All Your Rare Earth Metals Belong to Us | Danger Room | Wired.com:
"Rare earth metals are the key to 21st Century technology: Without them, we wouldn’t have smart phones, hybrid cars or precision weapons. And China, which mines most of the world’s rare earth metals, may be starting to catch on to their strategic value.

According to this alarming story in U.K. Telegraph, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is weighing a total ban on exports of terbium, dysprosium, yttrium, thulium, and lutetium — and may restrict foreign sales of other rare earth metals. But don’t panic yet: U.S.-based Molycorp Minerals is preparing to resume mining of rare earth ore deposits at a California facility . . ."