The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) ranks 175 out of 189 on the United Nations Human Development Index, with over three-quarters of its population living below the poverty line. Despite this, the DRC’s wealth in cobalt—a byproduct of copper mining and a rare metal essential for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries used in smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles (EVs)—offers a glimmer of hope for development. However, the potential prosperity from cobalt mining is overshadowed by the severe exploitation and human suffering associated with its extraction, making it unlikely that the DRC will truly benefit from this valuable resource.

Goldman Sachs Research expects oil demand to peak at 110 million barrels a day by 2034. In a scenario with slower EV adoption, oil demand could even increase to 113 million barrels a day by 2040. The rise of renewable energy is reshaping the global energy landscape; however, it takes time to implement policies around renewable energies. When predicting oil demand, one cannot overlook the history of oil and geopolitical risks. Oil provides the point at which foreign policy, international economic considerations, national security, and corporate interests converge.

The extraordinary inventions by exceptional minds such as Jack Kilby, John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, Mohamed Atalla, Dawon Kahng, Charlie Sporck, Andras Grof, Andy Groove, Bob Noyce, Morris Chang, Pat Haggerty, Gordon Moore, Carver Mead, and many others have fundamentally shaped the world’s reliance on semiconductors. Chris Miller’s Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology delves into the intricate details of how integrated chips did not only connect electronic components in innovative ways, but also how chips knit together nations in a network, with the United States at its center.