Roger Crowley: AI and rare earths play the role of spices in the past

British historian Roger Crowley , author of the essay Spices , in which he analyzes the history of these condiments , which were the driving force of the global economy in the Modern Age, believes that this role is played today by Artificial Intelligence and rare earths.

In an interview, Crowley asserts that "AI and, on a more tangible level, certain minerals and rare earths would play the role that spices played in the past ."

He believes that the struggle that existed in the past for control of spices has now become one for control of minerals, "especially between China and the US."

The author recalls that " in Ukraine there is a lot of lithium , which is necessary for the manufacture of batteries, and it is not surprising that Donald Trump has raised his interest in these rare earths in relation to the war in Ukraine, as is also the case with his interest in Greenland."

In his book Spices (Ático de los Libros), Crowley describes the struggle between the Spanish and Portuguese to gain control of the spice trade , a struggle that was later joined by other maritime powers, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

The importance of spices in areas such as medicine and food made them a very lucrative business , so European powers raced to find cheaper prices. It was the Portuguese who finally reached the Moluccas, the coveted spice islands, in 1511.

However, Spain did not want to be left out, hence the famous expedition of Magellan and Elcano , which sought to establish the Spanish presence on the coveted islands, although Charles V ended up renouncing the Moluccas after his marriage to Isabella of Portugal.

This renunciation and the "clear advantage" that Portugal had in Asia, given its established maritime route through the Indian Ocean and the African coast, facilitated, according to Crowley, "Spanish imperial expansion during the 16th century in America."

From the shipyards of Europe to the far reaches of the Pacific, passing through the fiery volcanic islands of Indonesia, the frozen Arctic Circle, and the shores of China, Crowley describes a historical era in which "voyage transformed the world economy and laid the foundations for a global order that would endure for centuries."

In this international trade , the real de a ocho, considered "the Spanish dollar", played a fundamental role. This currency was created after the Spanish discovered silver mines on the American continent in 1545.

Asked about the Trump administration's tariff policies, Crowley notes that "history teaches us that trade works best without barriers , and if a country starts to overprotect trade routes by imposing tariffs, it will cause damage not only to the affected countries, but to the entire global trading system."

Imposing tariffs, the British historian adds, "will benefit no one , because other nations will impose other tariffs, raising prices and hurting employment in certain sectors, affecting harvests and, in turn, ultimately affecting the US."