Critical Minerals in Uzbekistan Offer Exciting Chances While Also Presenting a Tricky Balancing Act in Today's Green Transition

This article explores Uzbekistan’s role in global competition for critical minerals, as the world moves towards more environmentally friendly energy sources and the number of major geostrategic rivalries increases. The analysis of Uzbekistan’s potential mineral wealth, the country’s approach to balancing its foreign relations, its potential for economic growth, and its potential for political risks are all part of this study. The article describes how Uzbekistan is slowly changing from a traditional supplier of raw materials to an important supplier of uranium, copper and rare earth-type metals. But the country must approach the external competition, mainly China, the US, the EU and Russia, carefully, while maintaining both environmental sustainability and economic diversity.