The Exterminating Empire: Capitalism’s War on Life from Palestine to the Burning Planet

Taking the ongoing genocide in Palestine as a point of departure, The Exterminating Empire traces capital’s centuries-long war against life itself. From the slave plantations and scorched-earth campaigns of early colonialism, to Vietnam, Haiti, Iraq, and today’s climate apartheid, Chris de Ploeg shows that, not only has exterminatory violence against peoples and ecosystems been central to the imperial project, but omnicidal tendencies—the drive to kill everything—have always been present. Operating at different scales, these tendencies possess the potential to annihilate even the imperial core itself, along with the rest of the planet.

Drawing from the revolutionary traditions of the Global South, de Ploeg offers a strategic vision of resistance rooted in class struggle, internationalism, socialism, and ecological justice. The Exterminating Empire gives a coherent worldview to those first politicized by the genocidal violence against Palestinians, and at the same time offers fresh perspectives to the seasoned reader. Whether unearthing the Roman invasions of Palestine, or exhuming the invention of hell, delivering the imperial birth story behind eco-fascism, or brandishing the weaponization of hunger and wage slavery de Ploeg maintains a relentless clarity and momentum, packing shocking facts, historical revelations, and praxis onto every page. This book is both an admonition against the annihilation we face and a survival guide.