{"product_id":"united-states-of-oligarchy-how-americas-wealthiest-ally-with-dictators-weaken-the-u-s-and-destroy-democracy","title":"United States of Oligarchy: How America's Wealthiest Ally with Dictators, Weaken the U.S., and Destroy Democracy","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCASEY MICHEL is one of the US's leading journalists and authors covering the world of dark money and international corruption. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eAmerican Kleptocracy\u003c\/i\u003e, named by \u003ci\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/i\u003e as one of the \"best books to read to understand financial crime,\" and \u003ci\u003eForeign Agents\u003c\/i\u003e, which received starred reviews from both \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e and was described by \u003ci\u003eForeign Policy Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e as one of the \"biggest foreign-policy book releases of 2024.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe writes regularly on offshoring, foreign lobbying, authoritarianism, and illicit wealth for outlets like \n\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, and \n\u003ci\u003eForeign Affairs\u003c\/i\u003e, among other outlets, and he has appeared on NPR, BBC, and CNN, among other stations. He has also testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the links between illicit financial networks and national security. He received his master's degree in Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies from Columbia University's Harriman Institute, and he is currently sanctioned by the Russian regime for his work. \n\u003ci\u003eUnited States of Oligarchy\u003c\/i\u003e is his third book. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"In [\u003ci\u003eUnited States of Oligarchy\u003c\/i\u003e], which delves into the illicit world of dark money, Michel examines the barely hidden control of oligarchs in the United States... An excellent current events book for readers seeking to understand the threat foreign lobbyists pose to U.S. democracy.\" --\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"In searing detail and packed with revelatory (and relevant) history, \n\u003ci\u003eUnited States of Oligarchy\u003c\/i\u003e tackles the biggest political issue of our time--the poisonous concentration of wealth strangling American democracy. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand our present--or attempt to fix our future.\" --Garrett M. Graff, \n\u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \n\u003ci\u003eThe Devil Reached Toward the Sky\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"This sharply written book offers a devastating critique of America's contemporary descent into oligarchy. Casey Michel explains the facilitating circumstances through a series of fascinating historical vignettes and an incisive analysis of the key legal cases. If you want to understand how a handful of mega rich men came to dominate American politics this is the book to read.\" --Fiona Hill, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"One of the best-written books on the threat to democracy that I've read. Michel isn't clickbaity-alarmist. Read this book, then give it to your crazy uncle who thinks everything is a conspiracy theory (but make sure he knows there's an index of citations).\" --Kal Penn, national bestselling author of \n\u003ci\u003eYou Can't Be Serious\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Casey Michel has written the definitive account of America's slide from democracy toward oligarchy. In this gripping and meticulously reported book, Michel connects the dots between Silicon Valley boardrooms, Gulf monarchies, Kremlin playbooks, and Washington politics. United States of Oligarchy shows how American billionaires have become global political actors, and how their alliances with authoritarian regimes threaten the foundations of U.S. democracy. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand power and corruption in the Trump era.\" --Tommy Vietor, co-host of Pod Save America \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"After years of studying how foreign oligarchs have manipulated American democracy for profit and power, Casey Michel turns a cold eye on America's new oligarchs...Carefully researched and brilliantly scathing, a searing indictment of the monstrous selfishness and nihilism of this sector of America's ruling class.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--Katherine Stewart, \n\u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \n\u003ci\u003eMoney, Lies, and God \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Oligarchy vs. democracy will be the defining battle of the 21st century. This book is indispensable for anyone who wants to grasp what is at stake with that battle. Engrossing, vivid, and lucid, it is a must read for anyone interested in the future of democracy in the United States and globally.\" --Gabriel Zucman, coauthor of \n\u003ci\u003eThe Triumph of Injustice\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"Americans are battered daily by news that corporate profits and billionaire fortunes are up, corruption is breaking our government down, and families in the working and middle classes have little hope of getting ahead. Michel argues with great force that it all stems from the same fundamental struggle--a fight that pits the defenders of American democracy against the strangling power of corporate interests and the ultra-wealthy. It's an urgent read based on real hope for a restoration of opportunity and democracy in America.\" --Sen. Ron Wyden \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eUnited States of Oligarchy\u003c\/i\u003e is a must-read book to understand the role of global and domestic oligarchs in moving the U.S. toward authoritarianism. Scholarly, historically-grounded, and eminently readable, Michel chronicles the steady erosion of democratic norms and illuminates the playbook of globally-connected oligarchs as they undermine democratic self-governing republics.\" --Chuck Collins, Institute for Policy Studies, author of \n\u003ci\u003eBurned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power are Ruining Our Lives and Planet\u003c\/i\u003e. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"With \n\u003ci\u003eUnited States of Oligarchy\u003c\/i\u003e, Michel does a genuine public service: unpicking and meticulously documenting every thread in the tangled web of oligarchic schemes that have led the US to its current status as a hot mess. He musters an impressive array of evidence to make the case that America's richest men have repaid the country that made them prosperous by turning traitor. Not only have they betrayed the ancient social contract of noblesse oblige, but they have actively aligned themselves with the worst enemies of the US--people hell-bent on toppling democracy worldwide. Because many of the schemes and alliances are as absurd as they are sinister, it is difficult to write about them without sounding like a conspiracy theorist. This is where Michel's rigorous, footnote-rich text really pays off: it keeps the book, along with its readers, grounded in the tangible reality of this horror show, and points to some ways out of it.\" --Brooke Harrington, author of \n\u003ci\u003eOffshoring\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAdditional Praise for Casey Michel: \u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"For years, foreign lobbyists have acted as key henchmen for dictators around the world, enriching and entrenching those regimes that much further. Now, Casey Michel shines much-needed light on these foreign lobbyists \n\u003ci\u003e--\u003c\/i\u003eand these enablers who are making it easier for despots around the world to expand their reach. Full of sordid tales and striking details, \n\u003ci\u003eForeign Agents \u003c\/i\u003eshows how these foreign lobbyists are, in many ways, just as reprehensible as the dictators they represent \n\u003ci\u003e--\u003c\/i\u003eand maybe even more so.\" --Sir Bill Browder, #1 \n\u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \n\u003ci\u003eRed Notice \u003c\/i\u003eand \n\u003ci\u003eFreezing Order\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"An eye-opening depiction of an industry that has largely defied efforts to keep it in check.\" -- \n\u003ci\u003eThe Economist \u003c\/i\u003eon \n\u003ci\u003eForeign Agents\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"[A] masterful exposé.... Michel's portrait of endemic corruption is disturbing; lobbying firms, he finds, do little more than serve as conduits for channeling foreign bribes to American officials. The result is a hard-hitting takedown of a cynical industry.\" -- \n\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e (starred) on \n\u003ci\u003eForeign Agents\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A timely exposé of American lobbyists who degrade democracy and weaken human rights. In the spirit of Progressive Era muckrakers, Michel reveals the shamelessness, venality, and moral turpitude of those who work to influence federal legislators and the public in order to advance antidemocratic foreign interests... A provocative and alarming account of the political cesspool known as foreign lobbying.\" -- \n\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e (starred) on \n\u003ci\u003eForeign Agents\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Important and well-documented.\" -- \n\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e on \n\u003ci\u003eForeign Agents \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"An eye-popping deep dive into a particularly slimy corner of the D.C. swamp that often escapes scrutiny... \n\u003ci\u003eForeign Agents\u003c\/i\u003e is an investigative accomplishment and a cri de coeur.\" -- \n\u003ci\u003eDemocracy Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"An indefatigable young American journalist who has virtually cornered the international kleptocracy beat on the US end of the black aquifer.\" -- \n\u003ci\u003eThe Los Angeles Review of Books \u003c\/i\u003eon \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Kleptocracy\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"Brilliantly clear.\" --Anne Applebaum, \n\u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic, \u003c\/i\u003eon \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Kleptocracy\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"Fluid, coherent and entertaining.\" -- \n\u003ci\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/i\u003e on \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Kleptocracy\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"[Michel] deserves praise for going beyond moralizing and pointing out how an industry geared to enabling the corrupt is not just unsavory but can hurt a country's real economic prospects.\" -- \n\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times \u003c\/i\u003e on \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Kleptocracy\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"Michel's diligent dissection is...a capable, eye-opening account of laissez faire financial laws and practices that serve the interest of criminals alone.\" -- \n\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews \u003c\/i\u003eon \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Kleptocracy\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA staggering examination of how America's wealthiest infiltrated the government and allied with dictators, transforming the U.S. from democracy to oligarchy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor years, a small group of billionaires has amassed increasing power, steering American politics for their own benefit. Many of these figures are familiar. There's Elon Musk, who has used his wealth to help place Donald Trump back in the White House. There's Mark Zuckerberg, who has used his resources to transform America into his own digital playground. There's Jared Kushner, who has used family connections to gain more political power than he ever dreamed of. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThere is only one word to describe such extreme levels of wealth, avarice, and political control: Oligarchy. But the oligarchs are not working alone. From China to Russia to Saudi Arabia and beyond, many of these men have cultivated alliances with America's most notorious adversaries, opening the doors for autocrats around the world to sink their teeth into the U.S. Placing profit over patriotism, they have transformed into vectors of influence for some of the world's most repulsive dictatorships, all of whom are trying to create a world dominated by imperialism and tyranny. Connecting everything from the devastation in Ukraine to destruction in Gaza to destabilization in Greenland, these oligarchs have transformed American policy and American politics into their own private fiefdoms, regardless of what Americans actually want. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \n\u003ci\u003eUnited States of Oligarchy\u003c\/i\u003e, Casey Michel illuminates a story decades in the making, from the earliest efforts to corral and combat American oligarchs, to the new crop of individuals monopolizing American democracy and making the world safe for dictatorship - all for their own benefit. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe oligarchs have risen, and are attempting to reign. The only question remaining is whether or not it's too late to stop them. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContributor Bio:\u003c\/strong\u003eMichel, Casey\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCASEY MICHEL\u003c\/b\u003e is an author, journalist, and director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program with the Human Rights Foundation. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eAmerican Kleptocracy\u003c\/i\u003e, named by The Economist as one of the \"best books to read to understand financial crime,\" and \u003ci\u003eForeign Agents\u003c\/i\u003e, which received starred reviews from both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly and was described by \u003ci\u003eForeign Policy Magazine \u003c\/i\u003eas one of the \"biggest foreign-policy book releases of 2024.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHis writing on offshoring, foreign lobbying, authoritarianism, and illicit wealth has appeared in \n\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs\u003c\/i\u003e, and \n\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, among other outlets, and he has appeared on NPR, BBC, CNN, and MSNBC, among other stations. He has also testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the links between illicit financial networks and national security. He received his Master's degree in Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies from Columbia University's Harriman Institute, and he is currently sanctioned by the Russian regime for his work. \n\u003ci\u003eUnited States of Oligarchy \u003c\/i\u003eis his third book. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"St. Martin's Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496160461078,"sku":"9781250430113","price":37.2,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9781250430113.jpg?v=1783054485","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/united-states-of-oligarchy-how-americas-wealthiest-ally-with-dictators-weaken-the-u-s-and-destroy-democracy","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}