Authoritarianism, Internationalism, and the Frontiers of Extraction: A Conversation with Thea Riofrancos

This interview situates Thea Riofrancos's latest book, Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism (2025), within the context of the current authoritarian conjuncture. Extractivism has shaped human relations with labor, land, and nature under capitalism. Yet the implications of extraction, including the mining of lithium to store green energy, are something that all radical left projects must grapple with. In this conversation, we consider the pasts, presents, and possible futures of extraction. The interview situates geographies of extraction within histories of imperialism, development, and socialism across the Global North and South. It also analyzes the limits and possibilities of global energy transitions within the context of green capitalism and resurgent right-wing authoritarianisms.