Mining Is Dead. Long Live Geopolitical Mining
The age of traditional mining has ended. Critical minerals-copper, lithium, cobalt, rare earths, and more-are no longer just commodities. They are the hidden architecture of global power, deciding who leads in technology, defense, finance, and diplomacy.
This book maps how minerals moved from the margins of industry to the center of geopolitics. With data from 2024-2025 and a strategic lens, Marta Rivera and Eduardo Zamanillo reveal how China, the United States, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia are reshaping the world order through mining decisions that will echo for decades.
Inside, you'll discover:
- Why Sovereign speed -not just reserves- now defines who wins or loses.
- How narrative and legitimacy can turn mineral wealth into real power.
- The risks of failing to industrialize mining in a world racing for supply chains.
- Where artificial intelligence, clean technologies, and strategic alliances enter the mineral equation.
- Why illegal mining is not just a social issue, but a matter of national security.
Mining Is Dead is not a technical manual. It is a guide for those who want to see the signals behind the headlines and anticipate the forces shaping tomorrow. Written with clarity and depth, it speaks to policymakers, business leaders, investors, academics, journalists-and anyone curious about how the next chapter of global power is being written.
The mining of the past is gone. What comes next is geopolitical mining, and it will shape the century.
Eduardo (Ed) Zamanillo is a mining engineer and advisor with international experience spanning from prospecting to the commercialization of commodities. He has been involved in major copper transactions in Latin America and has advised global investors on mining projects across multiple jurisdictions. Based in Toronto, he writes on mining as a driver of global infrastructure and geopolitical change-far beyond the energy transition.
Marta Rivera is a sociologist with a Master's degree in Strategic Communication. She has spent more than 20 years researching key industries, analyzing how narratives are built, how they influence strategic decisions, and how to anticipate game-changing insights.
