The White House (via OMB) strongly protests Congressional efforts within the FY 2027 NDAA to prohibit the purchase of warships from foreign shipyards. The Administration argues that these restrictions undermine national security by limiting flexibility and hindering its strategy of leveraging allied yards, such as in the 'Finland model,' to drive investment into U.S. shipbuilding capacity. This signals a significant policy shift toward integrating international partners into advanced naval construction, suggesting the Pentagon is prepared to bypass traditional domestic build requirements for future combat vessels.
Critical mineral-rich Africa can look after itself
English Summary
The article argues that African nations are increasingly exercising 'resource sovereignty' to manage their critical mineral wealth, challenging the paternalistic Western assumption that the continent requires external oversight to avoid exploitation. It highlights how countries like Burkina Faso and South Africa are leveraging global competition between the US and China to secure better infrastructure investments and nationalize key mining assets. For Western policymakers, this shift necessitates a move away from moralizing interventions toward engaging African states as equal economic partners capable of navigating geopolitical rivalries for their own benefit.
中文摘要
本文主張，非洲國家正日益行使「資源主權」來管理其關鍵礦產財富，挑戰了西方關於非洲大陸需要外部監督以避免剝削的家長式假設。文中強調布吉納法索與南非等國如何運用美中之間的全球競爭，以爭取更佳的基礎設施投資，並將關鍵礦業資產收歸國有。對西方決策者而言，此一轉變意味著必須捨棄道德化的干預，轉而將非洲國家視為平等的經濟夥伴，因其具備為自身利益應對地緣政治對抗的能力。
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