Biden and the extraordinary summit with Central Asian leaders: at the center are rare earths and the containment of China and Russia

to’United nations It is an object that is increasingly being criticized for its existence weak decisiveness, bad Associations general It is often an opportunity to hold meetings of some importance. The 78th plenary session was no exception. In fact, on the sidelines of the September 19 proceedings, Pres Use Joe Biden He attended a summit with all the leaders of the five republicsCentral Asia – Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan – The first tenant of the White House in history to participate in a meeting of this kind. If we take into account that no American leader visited the region during his term, the importance of the decision becomes more clear.

The same Biden He did not spare any effort in his tone, considering that the meeting was a “historic moment.” United State Want to base cooperation with Middle Asia “On our shared commitment sovereignty“Independence and territorial integrity.” These last points have now become a recurring slogan when leaders of some importance meet with regional governments – and it is the same thing. Xi Jinping These concepts are often repeated – and they represent a clear warning against Russia (Which was not mentioned during the September 19 meeting) Therefore Do not expand your regional goals And also to the Central Asia region. At this moment since then He flies No comments received on It moves AmericanBut it’s clear that since then Kremlin He looked at what happened with a certain anger New York.

resolution Biden Meeting their counterparts in Central Asia is part of the trend being seen United States of America Try to start role playing again Middle AsiaAlso, and above all, in light of the growing frustration among regional advisors regarding international movements He fliesTheir historic iron ally. In March, US Secretary of State. Anthony Blinkenstop in Uzbekistan And Kazakhstan – The two most important countries in the region from an economic and demographic standpoint – The visit that followed his assistant’s visit to the region, Donald Lowcompleted in November 2022.

We come to what appeared on the sidelinesUnited Nations AssemblyVery broad issues were put on the table, such as regional security (the borders of Central Asia Afghanistan) Communication and combating climate change. Most suggestion prominent What emerged were those related to the creation of A A stable dialogue table on the mining frontIt is a sector very close to people’s hearts United State Especially with regard to rare earths and all those minerals that are necessary to advance technological developments that are also related to sustainable energy production. According to data released in 2022 byUS Geological Surveythe United States of America 100% depend on it Imports for twelve minerals and more than 50% for thirty-one of these elements. For twenty-six of the fifty minerals classified as “critical” by the US government,… China It is the main source of imports, making the issue a real national security issue.

Hence this is explained by the numbers and qualitative weight of the decision to address this very strategic issue before the leaders, among others, Kazakhstan And UzbekistanThese countries, in turn, possess a large amount of rare earth elements such as copper, lithium, and chromium. Precisely because of the sensitivity of this dimension, Biden He was very cautious, stressing that this is still the stage of proposing increased cooperation in this field. administration United States of America In fact, he is aware of Balance game To whom should they lend themselves? Stationery Central Asians are torn between the desire to increase their capabilities International weight Expanding the scope of the audience of its partners and the necessity of avoiding at all costs a clear break with it Russia – He has a lot of influence, military and political above all, in the region – or with China – in which he is located Middle Asia It has invested tens of billions of dollars, and is increasingly establishing itself as a political model based on authoritarianism and economic motivation.

there White House He seems to have understood that A Approaching practical In the Central Asia region It could pay more than the human rights-based ones that were implemented post-independence -Stan From the Soviet UnionWhich in the past generated more tension. Of course, also highlighted Human Rights Watch Before the session you held Biden,systemsMiddle Asia (At least some of them) are among the most repressive At the global level, leaving some issues entirely in the shadows risks coming across as an overly cynical adherence to the principle of real politics. On the other hand, proximity can contribute to reducing the role Russia And based on China In the region. In different words, States united Other Western democracies – including Italy in the first place – are interested in thisMiddle Asia They must walk the same fine line as him Regional advisories Ground between He flies And Beijing.