(Antonio Graceffo’s post from the MIZZIMA-ENGLISH on 30 July 2025.)
Trump Administration Considers Rare Earth Deal That
Could Reshape the Burma Conflict: In a groundbreaking shift, the Trump
administration is reportedly considering two proposals for securing rare earth
minerals from Myanmar, resources critical to advanced weaponry and battery
production.
The first option would involve engaging directly
with the military junta, which would carry the side effect of granting it de
facto recognition. The second, far more transformative option, would be to
bypass the junta entirely and negotiate directly with the Kachin Independence
Army (KIA), the ethnic armed organization that controls most of Myanmar’s rare
earth mining territory.
If the U.S. chooses the latter, it would mark a historic break from the longstanding convention of democratic governments only engaging with officially recognized state authorities. Such a move would not only grant legitimacy to the KIA but also offer hope to all of Burma’s ethnic armed organizations, many of which have long sought international recognition and support.
