Competition on critical rare earth minerals has moved to the forefront of the global geopolitical landscape with many policy leaders and industry experts contending that this issue could be the defining feature of the international security and economic system for decades ahead. In April 2026, the World Affairs Council of Austin in collaboration with the Department of International Affairs/Political Science at St. Edward’s University will feature a two-part forum exploring the role of critical rare earth minerals and global geopolitics and risk.
Leading expert speakers from policy and industry will offer perspectives on forming optimal government and business strategies for managing and mitigating risk in rare earths. Discussion will range from consequences of distribution of
resources, processing and production, supply chains, sustainable development and potential for global competition and cooperation. In part two of the forum, St. Edward’s University students will share research insights on critical rare earths throughout various regions of the world with the Austin World Affairs Council community.
Moderated by Dr. Sharyl Cross, Distinguished Professor of Political Science/International Affairs, St.
Edward’s University
Panelists:
-Steve Clemons, Editor at Large, The National Interest & Co-Founder of PRISM
-Melissa Sanderson, Director, American Rare Earths Limited & Co-Chair, Critical
Minerals Institute
-Rodger Baker, Chairman S4GEO-Society for Geopolitics
The second follow-up session will be held on Thursday April 16 at 12:00 noon where St. Edward’s University Geopolitical Risk students will present their regional semester project team research (Latin America, Africa, Europe-Eurasia) on Geopolitics and Critical Earths. This session will be co-sponsored by World Affairs Council Austin in cooperation with the St. Edward’s University student Global Affairs Group (St. Edward’s University campus, in the St. Andre multipurpose room)
Panelists
Steve Clemons
Steve Clemons is Editor at Large of The National Interest and has served as Editor at Large of The Hill, The Atlantic and Semafor as well as in senior editorial roles at National Journal and Quartz. He is also editor and publisher of the popular political blog, The Washington Note, and host of “The Bottom Line” which airs on the global network of Al Jazeera English. Clemons serves on the Advisory Board of Future U.S. and CareLab, and is Chairman & CEO of Widehall LLC, a strategic communications and global policy events firm that translates ideas into high-traction impact. Steve recently co-founded PRISM aimed to facilitate optimal policy and strategy development in priority areas including critical rare earths. Clemons writes and speaks frequently on politics of all sorts and matters of foreign policy, defense, and domestic and international economic policy. He was Founder and Senior Fellow of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation, where he previously served as Executive Vice President. He has also served as Executive Vice President of the Economic Strategy Institute, Senior Economic & International Affairs Advisor to Senator Jeff Bingman (D-NM) in the US Senate and was founding Executive Director of the Nixon Center (now the Center for the National Interest). He serves on the GLOBSEC International Advisory Board.
Melissa Sanderson
Bringing extensive experience in both policy and industry, Melissa “Mel” Sanderson served in the US Foreign Service contributing to shaping policy across Latin America, Europe, and Africa and played an instrumental role in re-establishing US-DRC relations post-conflict while stationed at the American Embassy in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In the mining industry, Mel served as Vice President for Africa operations and subsequently Director of International Affairs for Freeport-McMoRan Inc. developing and executing global strategies that merged government relations with sustainable development initiatives. Her work extended to managing Freeport’s engagement with Indigenous communities in North America, ensuring that corporate activities aligned with best practices in Environmental Social Governance/ESG and stakeholder relations. In 2020, Mel founded Sanderson Consulting LLC, where she advises companies on sustainable development and ESG solutions. In addition to her consulting work, Mel serves as a Director for American Rare Earths Limited, where she focuses on government relations, ESG, and strategic vision. As the company’s Interim President for North America in 2023, she led a business transformation, enhancing investor relations and expanding the company’s profile within the critical minerals sector. Her leadership has positioned American Rare Earths as a key player in the rare earths value chain, with an emphasis on sectors such as defense and technology. Melissa has contributed to The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Reuters and spoken throughout the international community reflecting her standing as a leading expert in critical minerals and geopolitics. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Critical Minerals Institute (CMI), where she drives innovation and policy in the critical minerals sector, focusing on securing sustainable supply chains and advancing ESG principles.
Rodger Baker
Rodger Baker, based in Austin, is the Executive Director of Stratfor Center for Applied Geopolitics. Rodger guides the company’s analytical process, to include the development of their understanding and application of Stratfor’s proprietary methodology grounded in the study of applied geopolitics and intelligence analysis. He established the widely accessed RANE analysis platform bringing insights to the defense community, industry and academics on critical geopolitical developments and risk assessment. Rodger leads the MacKinder Forum on Geopolitics and the S4GEO Society for Geopolitics. He teaches in the area of Applied Geopolitics at Florida Atlantic University. Baker is a leading expert on North Korea and Asian/Indo-Pacific geopolitics, defense and geoeconomics. He has dedicated extended periods living and working in and around the Korean peninsula. His core emphasis is the multidisciplinary approach to geopolitics and the evolution of international relations to develop mid- and long-term forecasts to assist companies, governments and other globally engaged organizations in making informed decisions. Rodger holds a master’s degree in military history from Norwich University and regularly engages with academic institutes and research groups around the world briefing executives and corporate boards as well as delivering keynote addresses to a wide range of industry groups. He regularly appears in media including CNN, BBC, CBC, CNBC International, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, Reuters and The Associated Press.
Sharyl Cross, Session Moderator
Dr. Sharyl Cross is Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at St. Edward’s University. She served previously in the College of International and Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch Germany, U.S. Air War College at Maxwell AFB and as Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the United States Air Force Academy. Professor Cross earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles with concentrations in international relations, comparative politics (Soviet Union/Russia/ Eurasia/Eastern Europe and Latin America regional concentrations), and American foreign and security policy. She held appointments as a U.S. Fulbright Visiting Senior Research Scholar and Professor at the Institute of USA and Canada Studies and Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), Visiting Professor of Transatlantic Security and International Political Studies at Science-Po Lille, Kennan Institute Woodrow Wilson Center, post-Doctoral Fellowship Scholar at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and resident fellowship scholar and consultant at the RAND Corporation. Dr. Cross published China, Russia, and Twenty First Century Global Geopolitics co-authored with Paul J. Bolt Oxford University Press and has published extensively on issues of international security, foreign policy and geopolitics in leading professional peer reviewed journals. She is offering a new course in 2026 on Applied Geopolitical Risk in support of a certificate concentration for the programs in Political Science and International Affairs at St. Edward’s University. Her students, engaged this semester in regional research initiatives exploring the relevance of rare earth minerals to global geopolitics and risk, will present their conclusions next week at a session sponsored by World Affairs Council Austin in cooperation with the Global Affairs Society at St. Edward’s University.