Our featured report this month considers the diverse and plentiful critical mineral reserves found in the Americas, notably copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, rare earth elements, antimony, potash, and manganese. But as co-authors Chris Nyce and Mateo Micucci underscore in Critical Minerals: The Western Hemisphere's Opportunity turning that endowment into resilient, high-standard supply chains will require governments to move quickly on permitting, investment incentives, and trade frameworks.

The report maps the upside but also chokepoints and examines how market shocks and export controls are reshaping access and lays out a practical hemispheric blueprint: from time-certain permitting and price-risk tools to social license, ESG standards, and the traceability that buyers increasingly demand.

With the inauguration of Jose Antonio Kast on March 11, the IOA podcast series spotlighted Chile with an insightful discussion of the election, the transition, and what the Kast government's agenda means for Chile's economy, energy sector, and critical minerals.