Thank you for your comments. With respect to further information on strategic commodities and US protectionism, there are a myriad of articles, even a few books, written on the subject matter. I offer the following as a sampling for your reading pleasure.

Strategic materials : technologies to reduce U.S. import vulnerability.
By United States, Office of Technology Assessment, Congress

Transatlantic Trade Conflicts and GATT/WTO Dispute Settlement
Marc L. Busch† and Eric Reinhardt‡

Transatlantic Economic Disputes: The EU, the US, and the WTO by Ernst-Ulrich Petersmann (Editor), Mark A. Pollack (Editor)

One does not have to look far from home (Canada) to experience/appreciate the force of US protectionist policy.......just consider how the US has been playing "hard ball" for years with Canada over the latter's exports of softwood lumber to the former in spite of NAFTA.

Enjoy!

geoprof