An excellent read for those of us wanting a better understanding of how our government works or doesn’t work. It is timely and informative.
The book being reviewed is “United States of Oligarchy: How America’s Wealthiest Ally with Dictators, Weaken the U.S., and Destroy Democracy” by Casey Michel.
I could not have summarized the author’s credentials better than his own website. (https://www.caseymichel.com/)
“I’m the Director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program at the Human Rights Foundation, as well as a writer, analyst, and investigative journalist working on topics ranging from kleptocracy, illicit finance, and dark money to foreign lobbying and foreign interference.
I’ve written three books on the intersection of international corruption, foreign influence, and democracy in America and abroad, all published by St. Martin’s Press.“
I thought the discussion of oligarchy in general in the early part of the book was important to clarify what came later. The discussion of the influence of a relatively small number of very wealthy Americans (as opposed to vast majority of Americans) was disturbing. The influence of foreign oligarchs was even more disturbing.
The author gives many carefully researched examples of the super-wealthy controlling or having much influence over the government. Some may find it so disturbing it will be depressing. I found it best to take break from reading at frequent intervals in this section of the book.
I thank Netgalley (https://www.netgalley.com ) for the chance to read this before publication.
The book should be published on August 4 2026.
I think this is an important book and should be read by those on all sides of the political spectrum.