Geopolitics with Ghost Ep. 22: Africa’s Mineral Chessboard, Pentagon Rare Earth Grab, and Netanyahu’s Tightrope – July 11, 2025

In this expansive episode, Ghost dives deep into Africa’s shifting alliances and the global scramble for critical resources. He opens with Trump’s Africa Summit, where five West African nations were invited to Washington to negotiate trade deals centered on rare earth minerals, oil, and gas. Ghost methodically dissects NPR and AP coverage, showing how Western media narratives obscure the real incentives driving U.S. outreach, countering China’s and Russia’s growing footholds across the continent. Using detailed maps and timelines, he explains how military coups in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have created a new power bloc aligned with Russia, and why Liberia, Gabon, and others were strategically selected for engagement.

The conversation moves to the Pentagon’s controversial investment in MP Materials, effectively nationalizing America’s only rare earth mine to break dependence on Chinese supply chains. Ghost then pivots to Israel’s turmoil, exploring how Netanyahu’s government is trapped between domestic collapse, far-right coalition partners, and stalled Gaza negotiations. With plenty of sidebars, on rare earth land grabs, CIA-backed coups, and the long game of economic warfare, this episode is equal parts exposé and history lesson, revealing how old empires still pull the strings behind modern headlines.