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In recent decades, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology and its expanding applications in human life have brought about extensive transformations across various sectors, particularly in the economic sphere. This has significantly heightened the importance of developing this technology for major global powers. Mineral resources serve as the essential raw materials for manufacturing AI-related hardware; consequently, access to these resources is crucial for nations and companies active in this field. Within the geopolitical competition to acquire these mineral resources, the means of controlling and accessing them can be utilized as leverage to exert pressure and impose restrictions on the development of AI technologies. Consequently, countries possessing these resources are pursuing stockpiling and even exploiting resources from other nations to not only increase their own influence and control but also to secure their future access to these materials.
This study is applied research conducted using a descriptive-analytical method. The main research questions are: What role do mineral resources play in the development of AI technology, and how does the geopolitical competition among great powers for acquiring these resources unfold? Based on the research findings, mineral resources, as critical raw materials for manufacturing equipment and a source of capital, significantly impact the production of AI technology hardware. The competition among great powers for these mineral resources often manifests through strategies such as stockpiling, price manipulation, and resource processing. The results indicate that access to, control over, and supervision of the mineral mines used in AI hardware production enable major powers like the United States and China not only to influence the global trajectory of this technology's development and utilization but also to prevent the entry of rival actors into this arena or diminish their potential role.
 

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Due to its geopolitical position, Afghanistan has always been at the center of competition among global powers. Following the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2021, the country has become a battleground for rivalry among China, Russia, the United States, Iran, India, and Pakistan. Using the theories of Balance of Power and Mackinder’s Heartland Theory, this study examines the role of these rivalries in Afghanistan’s security, economic, and political developments. The research seeks to answer the question: how have geopolitical rivalries among global powers affected Afghanistan’s security, politics, and economy after the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2021?
Geopolitical competition among global powers (China, Russia, the United States, Iran, India, and Pakistan) has led to increased economic dependency, intensified proxy rivalries, and greater complexity in Afghanistan’s domestic politics, becoming a major obstacle to sustainable stability in the post-2021 period. China, through large-scale investments and the inclusion of Afghanistan in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), seeks to strengthen its economic influence and secure its strategic interests. Russia emphasizes security aspects and counterterrorism measures and maintains a cautious relationship with the Taliban. In contrast, the United States aims to prevent further empowerment of the Taliban and the growing influence of China and Russia through economic sanctions, diplomatic pressure, and cooperation with regional actors. Meanwhile, Iran, India, and Pakistan pursue different objectives in Afghanistan, further complicating regional interactions.
The findings of this research reveal that global power rivalries have increased Afghanistan’s economic dependency, intensified proxy conflicts, and created new challenges within the Taliban’s domestic political structure.