” Fast-forward to today - our main sources of cobalt are still in Africa, and now we need it not only for making alloy steels...”
Way to go, retard !
You advocate globalist stupidity such as being dependent on critical alloying elements like cobalt - which will be cut off by China in the event of war. (Since China controls both world cobalt production and heavily influences Congo)
This is the best argument of Isolationism and self sufficiency there is.
So you'd have us revert to a society with a 19th century technology? Which is pretty much where we'd be without cobalt, just to name one critical mineral out of dozens. How's your horsemanship? Like your soda-pop (or beer) in aluminum cans? Can't have any. We've never mined bauxite in this country. No steel cans either, tin for coating the steel hasn't been produced in the USA since before WW2. No solder for assembling electronics - solder is 50% tin. Wind turbines? Forget 'em - they need neodymium for the magnets. We have some, but the technology to mine it and refine it will be gone. Oh, and those big steam turbines that generate base-load electricity? Shut them down, too. The blades need chromium alloy steels or they erode away in months. Suppliers in order are China, Turkey, Kazakhstan and, India, with Finland a distant 5th.
You came to the wrong shop Reverend; I'm a retired manufacturing engineer. I can go on like this for hours.