The Second Cold War Observatory2 Helmi 2023

The Geopolitics of Renewable Energy and Resource Extraction in Argentina with Marcelo Saguier

A conversation with Marcelo Saguier (Director of the Area of International Studies, National University of San Martín) on the relationship between domestic politics and geopolitics surrounding resource extraction in Argentina. Argentina is a leading producer in the minerals and petroleum sectors. With the global energy transition, countries have ramped up investment in renewable energy sources, particularly the critical minerals used in Lithium batteries. In this episode, Saguier explores the mining–development nexus in Argentina. As both Chinese and American firms increase engagement in resource extraction, Saguier suggests that Argentina will not be forced to choose between the two but rather actively avoid it.

Dr. Marcelo Saguier works at the School of Politics and Government, National University of San Martin (UNSAM). He is a researcher at Argentina's National Scientific and Technical Research Council. His research focuses on the international political economy of the environment.

Jaksot(21)

China Comes to Town: Chinese Investment and Local Politics in the U.S. with Emily Conrad

Chinese investment in the United States has become an increasingly contentious issue that is much more complicated than headlines suggest. In this episode, we reflect on recent debates in Michigan’s d...

21 Elo 48min

Infrastructure, Nickel, and the Politics of Polyalignment in Indonesia

Indonesia is often framed as a key arena of China-Japan-US competition in the Second Cold War. In this episode, we talk with Trissia Wijaya about her book on the political economy of Chinese and Japan...

24 Kesä 40min

Unfrozen: The Fight for the Future of the Arctic with Mia Bennett

Nowhere is the dual threat of climate change and geopolitical contest felt more strongly than in the Arctic. Sea ice is declining rapidly, wildfires are burning, and permafrost is thawing. All the whi...

11 Huhti 40min

Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism with Thea Riofrancos

Lithium, a crucial input in the batteries powering electric vehicles, has the potential to save the world from climate change. But even green solutions come at a cost. Mining lithium is environmentall...

6 Tammi 1h 10min

Weila Gong, "Implementing a Low-Carbon Future: Climate Leadership in Chinese Cities" (Oxford UP, 2025)

This episode explores what China’s subnational climate experiments tell us about the possibilities and limits of climate leadership in an era of intensified geopolitics. We discuss how China’s domesti...

24 Joulu 202540min

The end of aid? US, China, and the future of development

In early 2025, headlines announced that the Trump administration would move to dramatically slash USAID—the United States’ flagship development agency. For many, the move was surprising, even self-def...

28 Elo 202548min

Seeing China’s Belt and Road with Ed Schatz and Rachel Silvey

EPISODE SUMMARY: What becomes visible when you shift the lens away from Beijing to how China’s Belt and Road projects unfold on the ground? Seeing China’s Belt and Road, edited by Edward Schatz and Ra...

9 Heinä 202548min

Judicial Territory: Law, Capital, and the Expansion of American Empire with Shaina Potts

In this episode, we sit down with Shaina Potts, author of Judicial Territory: Law, Capital, and the Expansion of American Empire (Duke University Press, 2024)—a groundbreaking book that reveals how U....

20 Kesä 202542min