Contributor

Nicolas Niarchos

Nicolas Niarchos is a journalist and author of The Elements of Power. His work focuses on energy, war, and migration, and has been published in The New Yorker, The Nation, and The New York Times. His work on mining in Indonesia was shortlisted for a 2024 Livingston Award. In 2023, he won an Edward R. Murrow Award for a radio report from Ukraine for The New Yorker and WNYC.

A vintage steam train travels along a winding track beside a rocky hillside, with smoke billowing from the engine.

EV Revolution 30 April 2026

An old railroad is key to U.S.-China race for critical metals in Africa

Washington is trying to use the Lobito Railway in Congo to break China’s hold on critical metals in Africa, writes Nicholas Niarchos in his new book, The Elements of Power.