In today’s interconnected world, the influence of monopolistic corporations has grown to staggering levels, especially through global communication channels. These corporate giants can now sway public opinion and mobilize the masses, often with alarming ease, by leveraging the widespread addiction to digital devices.
Elon Musk, who famously invested $44 billion in acquiring Twitter (now rebranded as X), exemplifies the audacity of these corporate titans. His frequent clashes with governments, including his public advocacy for a coup in Venezuela, stem from this newfound confidence. Recently, Musk has found himself at odds with the United Kingdom, further highlighting the growing friction between corporate power and state sovereignty.
Keir Starmer, the new Labour Prime Minister of the U.K., has pointed to social media platforms like X as a catalyst for the recent wave of racist street protests plaguing the nation. His concerns are not unfounded. Following the tragic knife attack in Southport on July 29, where a 17-year-old assailant killed three children and injured 10 others, including eight children, social media became a breeding ground for misinformation. Rumors quickly spread that the attacker was both an immigrant and a Muslim. This false narrative sparked widespread violence, with mosques burned, the homes of Muslims and immigrants raided, and businesses looted. Even after it was confirmed that the attacker was a Christian, the unrest continued to escalate, fueled by the unchecked spread of inflammatory content on social media. Musk’s X, under the guise of "freedom of expression," allowed the dissemination of these unverified claims. Musk himself exacerbated the situation by commenting, "Civil war is inevitable," in a video of the riots in Liverpool.
While Musk’s motivations for meddling in Venezuela are transparently tied to the country’s lithium reserves – essential for his electric car empire, his dispute with the U.K. raises new questions. Could the battle for lithium be at the heart of this conflict as well?
Serbia, a nation whose past is marked by triggering global conflicts such as World War II, now finds itself on the brink of domestic upheaval. The streets are alive with mass protests against the planned opening of lithium mines.
President Aleksandar Vucic, who recently warned of an imminent "big conflict," claims to have received intelligence from Russia suggesting that a Western-backed coup may be in the works. Vucic, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, has been navigating a precarious geopolitical landscape. At a recent news conference with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Vucic highlighted China’s growing investment in Serbia for the last three years in particular, declaring that, "Serbia's defense is more reliable today with China's support."
However, Vucic’s balancing act has not gone unnoticed. Just last month, he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Belgrade, where they signed a strategic memorandum of understanding on raw materials, electric vehicles and battery production. Notably, the British control the mine that will supply lithium to both China and Germany, with the European Union also playing a role. Reports even suggest that environmental concerns have been strategically downplayed to push the project forward.
The unrest in Serbia could well be a signal from Moscow, displeased with Vucic’s increasingly Western-oriented diplomacy. Yet, what stands out is the conspicuous absence of the United States in this consortium. Or perhaps, more accurately, the absence of Elon Musk, who has been aggressively pursuing lithium globally.
The rise of electric vehicles has driven a surge in demand for essential minerals like lithium, nickel and cobalt, all crucial components of EV batteries. By 2030, it is expected that around 60% of vehicles in China, Europe and the United States will be electric. The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that by 2040, the demand for lithium could increase 40-fold compared to 2020 levels. Currently, China dominates the global market in lithium processing and battery production, but this supply chain is vulnerable. If new lithium sources are not tapped, the entire market could face a severe shortfall.
Musk, often lauded for his efforts to champion “free speech” on X, is clearly intoxicated by the vast opportunities presented by the global lithium race. If he, with all his wealth and power, is so consumed by this pursuit, one can only imagine the lengths to which other global media magnates might go to secure their share.
