Gracelin Baskaran

Director, Critical Minerals Security Program
5Baskaran

Dr. Gracelin Baskaran is director of the Critical Minerals Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She is a mining economist and has spent over a decade working on critical minerals globally. She began her career in South Africa’s platinum belt and later spent five years at the World Bank in South Africa, where she coauthored the book Africa’s Resource Future: Harnessing Natural Resources for Economic Transformation during the Low-Carbon Transition. She recently published a policy playbook, Critical Minerals and the Future of the United States Economy, and is now writing a book on an international strategy for critical minerals engagement for the United States. Dr. Baskaran is also an adjunct associate professor at Georgetown University, where she teaches critical minerals in the Center for Security Studies. She was a Fulbright Scholar and has held positions at the University of Cambridge, the University of London, and the University of Cape Town. Dr. Baskaran has been cited as an expert in The Economist, Financial Times, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Fox, CNN, Bloomberg, and BBC, and regularly appears on television. She has authored more than 200 policy reports, white papers, and op-eds. In 2025, Mining Journal ranked Dr. Baskaran No. 8 on its “Top 50 Most Influential” list—the only woman in the top 12. She regularly speaks at international conferences and policymaker forums and has testified before the U.S. Congress. She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge.

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Gracelin Baskaran's Reports

Photo: Cheng Xin/Getty Images

Photo: Cheng Xin/Getty Images

Rare Earth Export Restrictions One Year Later

China’s 2025 rare earth export restrictions exposed a critical U.S. national security vulnerability. Washington responded with billions in financing and global partnerships. One year on, we assess the response—and how far the United States still is from true resilience.

Brief by Gracelin Baskaran and Meredith Schwartz — April 27, 2026

Gracelin Baskaran's Analysis

Photo: Annabelle Gordon/CNP/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Photo: Annabelle Gordon/CNP/Bloomberg/Getty Images

One Year After Busan: Has China Kept Its Rare Earth Promises?

One year after Busan, China’s rare earth exports to the United States remain sharply below pre-restriction levels, even as global shipments hold steady. Beijing’s continued control over rare earth supplies raises the stakes for Trump-Xi meetings in Shenzhen and Miami.

Critical Questions by Gracelin Baskaran and Max Martin — November 10, 2026

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One Year After Busan: Has China Kept Its Rare Earth Promises?

One year after Busan, China’s rare earth exports to the United States remain sharply below pre-restriction levels, even as global shipments hold steady. Beijing’s continued control over rare earth supplies raises the stakes for Trump-Xi meetings in Shenzhen and Miami.

Critical Questions by Gracelin Baskaran and Max Martin — November 10, 2026

Project Vault Moves from Concept to Execution

Project Vault is moving from concept to execution. Glencore and Mercuria are committing $1 billion to source and stockpile critical minerals for U.S. manufacturers, putting the United States’ first commercial strategic minerals reserve into motion.

Critical Questions by Gracelin Baskaran — September 23, 2026

The Future of U.S.–Africa Minerals Diplomacy

Join the CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program for a high-level forum on the future of U.S-Africa cooperation in minerals and energy, and what a more commercially-focused partnership could look like.

Event — September 18, 2026

China Continues to Exploit Rare Earth Chokepoints

For years, China has used rare earth export restrictions as a tool of geopolitical leverage. What has been the actual impact of these measures and how has the United States responded?

Event — September 11, 2026

Strategic Partnerships to Secure Critical Resources and Supply Chains

The United States does not have sufficient domestic geological resources to meet its mineral needs for sectors vital to national security, economic competitiveness, and energy resilience. International partnerships not optional; they are a fundamental component of U.S. mineral security.

Congressional Testimony by Gracelin Baskaran — September 2, 2026

Keeping Aluminum in Allied Hands: The Stakes of Alcoa’s South Africa Bet

Alcoa has made the largest U.S. mining supply chain investment in South Africa in years. Whether it marks the beginning of a new wave of Western investment will depend on South Africa’s policy choices—and its ability to compete for strategic mining capital.

Commentary by Gracelin Baskaran — July 8, 2026

G7 Critical Minerals Ambitions and Iran's Natural Resources

As G7 leaders discussed critical minerals coordination and strategies to de-risk supply chains, a U.S.-Iran deal opens the possibility for investment in Iran’s untapped copper as a new frontier for critical mineral investment.

Critical Questions by Gracelin Baskaran and Meredith Schwartz — June 18, 2026

Audio Briefs

G7 Critical Minerals Ambitions and Iran's Natural Resources

An audio version of "⁠G7 Critical Minerals Ambitions and Iran's Natural Resources⁠," a new critical question by CSIS’s Gracelin Baskaran and Meredith Schwartz. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by Gracelin Baskaran and Meredith Schwartz — June 18, 2026

Audio Briefs