A deal built on a fault line
The minerals-for-security deal between Trump and President Tshisekedi, decoded. The author warns it may be signed by a leader who never truly won the mandate to sign it — and asks what that means for everyone.
The warning the world can't ignore
Can Trump's deal and democracy in the DRC work perfectly?
Written by a former 2023 presidential candidate of the Congo, this is the explosive inside story of the US–DRC critical minerals-for-security deal — and the dangerous question at its heart: can a deal signed with an illegitimate President ever buy peace?
NewRelease
Why this book matters
A nation worth $23 trillion —
A nation worth $23 trillion —
and the deal that could break it
The Congo is, by some estimates, the richest country on Earth in untapped minerals — yet one of the poorest in lived reality. Critical Minerals, Dangerous Ties asks who really wins when superpowers come for that wealth, and who is left to pay.
The human cost behind the headlines
Over 10 million dead. More than 5 million displaced. And nearly 1,000 children fathered and abandoned by UN peacekeepers — a "ticking time bomb" the author says the world refuses to see.
Five solutions — not just a warning
The author refuses to only criticize. He lays out five concrete steps to break the cycle of violence for good — from an internal Congolese dialogue to a transitional government without the men he blames for the crisis.
The questions the book dares to ask
Three questions you won't
Three questions you won't
stop thinking about
?
Can a rigged election be a foundation for peace?
Will the world accept the United States — an old democracy — signing a minerals deal with a President the author says came to power through a rigged election in 2018 and 2023?
?
Who really profits from the bloodshed?
"No one wants to know who provides the weapons to those committing atrocities in the DRC." Who arms them — and who profits — while millions die and millions flee?
?
What about the 1,000 children left behind?
Nearly 1,000 children were fathered and abandoned by UN peacekeepers sent to keep the peace. The author calls them a "ticking time bomb." What happens to them now?
The US–DRC Nexus
The argument
Behind every battery is a balance of power
From cobalt and coltan to copper and lithium, the race to secure critical minerals is reshaping alliances and redrawing the map of global influence. This book asks the question too few are willing to: at what cost, and to whom?
- The deal decoded. What the US–DRC mineral arrangements really mean for both nations.
- The human ledger. The communities, workers and ecosystems on the front line of extraction.
- The path forward. A principled framework for accountability, transparency and justice.
$0TUntapped mineral wealth
0M+Lives lost to the conflict
0%The contested vote that kept power
0Children left behind by peacekeepers
Lines that stay with you
Straight from the pages
It doesn't pay to ignore warnings. Even when they don't make sense.
”
Rick RiordanThe epigraph that opens the book
“
If you want to destroy a country, there is no point in waging a bloody war… destroy its education system and make corruption widespread. Then wait twenty years, and you will have a country of ignorant people, run by thieves.
“
I have a feeling the people will rise and say NO to this deal — if it does not wait for a President with full legitimacy in the DRC.
Authority & credibility
Written by Dr. Justin B. Mudekereza
He doesn't write as a distant observer. Born in the war-scarred Kivu region, Dr. Mudekereza ran for President of the DRC in 2023 and is a recipient of the Nelson Mandela Leadership Award. This is his firsthand reckoning with a country he tried to lead — and the deal he believes could decide its fate.
2023 DRC Presidential Candidate
Nelson Mandela Leadership Award
Founder & CEO, Rescue Democracy Int'l
Born in the Kivu conflict zone
Meet the author
Endorsements & social proof
All endorsements
What readers are saying
A rare book that refuses easy answers — it forces policymakers and citizens alike to reckon with the true price of the energy transition.
JW
Judith W.Policy Analyst & Researcher
"Urgent, rigorous and deeply humane. Required reading for anyone serious about the geopolitics of the energy transition."
"It connects the dots between the boardroom, the mine and the geopolitical chessboard. I couldn't put it down."
"A scholarly yet accessible account that belongs on every university and policy-school reading list."
Institutional acquisition
Built for evaluation, procurement & the classroom
For libraries, universities, policy institutes and NGOs, Critical Minerals, Dangerous Ties is structured to support adoption decisions, curriculum integration and bulk acquisition.
- Evaluation-ready — clear value, scope and learning outcomes for adoption committees.
- Bulk & institutional orders — for course packs, libraries and reading programs.
- Procurement-aligned — documentation to support standards-based purchasing.
Libraries
Catalog-ready metadata and durable editions for circulating and reference collections.
Universities
Discussion-driven structure suited to courses in policy, ethics and international affairs.
Policy Institutes
Evidence and framing to inform briefings, panels and convenings.
NGOs & Advocacy
A shared reference point for campaigns built on resource justice and accountability.
Read it before the deal is signed
A trillion-dollar deal. A contested presidency. A warning from a man who ran to lead the Congo. Get Critical Minerals, Dangerous Ties and decide for yourself before history does.
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