RESOURCE REVOLT: LULA DECLARES “OUR MINERALS, OUR RULES”
A bold new battle line has been drawn in the global resource war, as Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, delivers a fiery message to the world: the era of exploitation is over.
In a powerful statement, Lula insisted that critical minerals belong to the nations that hold them and any foreign powers seeking access must now invest, produce, and create jobs locally. “We are no longer colonised countries,” he signalled, in a clear rejection of decades of outside control.
For generations, wealthy nations have extracted vast resources from regions across Africa, Latin America, and Asia often leaving behind environmental damage and limited economic gain. But with global demand for lithium, rare earths, and other key materials soaring amid the green energy transition, the stakes have never been higher.
Now, a new doctrine is emerging: sovereignty first. Leaders across the Global South are increasingly echoing the call and warning the old rules no longer apply.