Polityka surowcowa w wymiarze metali ziem rzadkich. Rwanda – studium przypadku

The primary goal of a state's raw material policy is to ensure its raw material security. Due to the progressing technological development, rare earth metals play an increasingly important role. For several years, they have become the subject of a political game between the countries that play a dominant role in their market, i.e., the People's Republic of China and the United States. The other countries where the discussed groups of metals are mined were left on the sidelines of the discussion. The aim of the research undertaken in this article is to show the role of rare earth metals in creating raw material security on the example of Rwanda. It is home to some of the largest deposits of niobium and tantalum, key elements used in electronics, in aviation industry, and in the manufacturing of medical equipment. The main result of the research carried out is as follows: extraction of rare earth metals constitutes one of the foundations of the Rwandan economy. In recent years, there has been a significant professionalization of mining practices, bearing in mind the environment, health, and safety. It was also established that the factors that pose the most important threat to Rwanda's raw material policy include the current, uneasy situation on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the largest deposits of the metals in question are located, and the negative effects of the global Sars-Cov-2 pandemic.

The “Techno-Turn” of China’s Official Discourse on Nationalism

This article explores a recent tendency in the official Chinese discourse on nationalism—the government more actively employs Chinese achievements in science and technology to boost national pride and regime legitimacy. This “techno-turn” focuses on China’s construction of megaprojects, its active role in international techno-economic business, and its development of cutting-edge scientific research and technologies. This transition in the official discourse on nationalism contains several rationales along material, policy, and ideological dimensions, and uses sophisticated propaganda tactics. It also faces constraints and challenges—some derived from conflicts with reality, and others derived from internal logical imbalances. The turn marks a new stage in the development of contemporary Chinese nationalism, in which official nationalism absorbs elements from popular nationalism. This ideological transition may influence both Chinese domestic and international politics—it may lead to China’s more confident engagement in international affairs, but may also generate uncertainties in relations between China and the West.

Macroeconomic indicators of raw material policy in Slovakia

This paper points to the development tendencies of selected macroeconomic indicators of raw material policy in Slovakia, which forms an integral part of the national economic policy of the state. It describes in detail selected macroeconomic indicators of exploitation of raw materials, which form the basic platform of functioning of all national economic sectors in Slovakia. It also points out the benefits for the Slovak economy in the form of revenues from mining activities to the state budget, municipal budget and environmental fund. At the end the article summarizes the partial findings from the development tendencies of macroeconomic indicators of raw material policy, which is currently an integral part of the industrial policy of the European Union.

Implementing Indigenous Education Policy Directives in Ontario Public Schools: Experiences, Challenges and Successful Practices

The Ontario Ministry of Education has declared a commitment to Indigenous student success and has advanced a policy framework that articulates inclusion of Indigenous content in schooling curriculum (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2007). What are the perceptions among educators and parents regarding the implementation of policy directives, and what is seen to encourage or limit meaningful implementation? To answer these questions, this article draws on interviews with 100 Indigenous (mainly Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Métis) and non-Indigenous parents and educators from Ontario Canada. Policy directives are seen to benefit Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Interviews also reveal challenges to implementing Indigenous curricular policy, such as unawareness and intimidation among non-Indigenous educators regarding how to teach material. Policy implications are considered.

Material Talk: The Arctic Continental Shelf in the Law of the Sea Convention Discussion of the United States

The legal status of a large area of the Arctic seafloor is currently being redefined as the rapid melting of polar ice is enabling the exploitation and study of resource-rich underwater areas. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea contains legal rules for establishing exploitation rights to the newly accessible seafloor. The United States has not joined the Law of the Sea Convention but may be legally entitled to areas of the Arctic seafloor, which has caused an upsurge of political discussion among U.S. political elites. In this article, I examine the process by which Arctic seafloor and ice come to influence policy discussion in the United States. I highlight the way in which material policy influence can be treated as historical rather than monocausal by using new materialist theory.