Oakland Institute Challenges Critical-Minerals Rush-Its Data Echo Great Powers Era 2.0, but Its Prescription Diverges

Highlights

• Oakland Institute's 2026 RUSH report finds 79% of magnet rare-earth demand came from non-energy-transition applications, reinforcing strategic mineral concerns.
• China controls roughly 90% of rare earth separation and 93% of magnet manufacturing, a concentration both frameworks acknowledge as a core risk.
• REEx argues that halting new extraction without building alternative supply chains would entrench Chinese dominance rather than reduce it.
• Oakland Institute frames the mineral boom as an extractive threat; REEx sees responsible diversification as strategically unavoidable.
• Investors should separate Oakland's empirical data from its advocacy-oriented policy conclusions when assessing critical mineral supply chain risk.