Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They Are Making

By David Rothkopf

Book Overview

Each of them is one in a million. They number six thousand on a planet of six billion. They run our governments, our largest corporations, the powerhouses of international finance, the media, world religions, and, from the shadows, the world's most dangerous criminal and terrorist organizations. They are the global superclass, and they are shaping the history of our time. Today's superclass has achieved unprecedented levels of wealth and power. They have globalized more rapidly than any other group. But do they have more in common with one another than with their own countrymen, as nationalist critics have argued? They control globalization more than anyone else. But has their influence fed the growing economic and social inequity that divides the world? What happens behind closeddoor meetings in Davos or aboard corporate jets at 41,000 feet? Conspiracy or collaboration? Deal-making or idle self-indulgence? What does the rise of Asia and Latin America mean for the conventional wisdom that shapes our destinies? Who sets the rules for a group that operates beyond national laws? Drawn from scores of exclusive interviews and extensive original reporting, Superclass answers all of these questions and more. It draws back the curtain on a privileged society that most of us know little about, even though it profoundly affects our everyday lives. It is the first in-depth examination of the connections between the global communities of leaders who are at the helm of every major enterprise on the planet and control its greatest wealth. And it is an unprecedented examination of the trends within the superclass, which are likely to alter our politics, our institutions, and the shape of the worldin which we live.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374272107
• ISBN13: 9780374272104
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 1.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

This review refers to the Kindle edition of the book

Writing a book about the most powerful and influential people on Earth is risky, as such a subject cannot help but be intensely political, given the vast inequalities of wealth and power evident in our world. It is hard to maintain a credible balance, but the author manages to do just that. He shows that the evolution of a class of "elites" is natural for human societies, and perhaps even necessary - without going over into...

Enlightening and Empowering

I had the pleasure of hosting David Rothkopf at Stanford University a few weeks ago as a speaker in our Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders lecture series. His talk was riveting and the students responded with great enthusiasm. He used the lecture to emphasis the key theme of his book, Superclass, that there is an small, informal network of people around the world who hold an inordinate amount of power when it comes to influencing...

Superclass

In the middle of this presidential election year, there is no more timely read than Superclass. Clinton, McCain and Obama may talk about the powers-that-be, David Rothkopf tells you who they are, how they think and how they work on all strata - financial, military, political etc., often intersecting. The book is not only thoroughly researched, it's a fun read, with real moments of levity and extraordinary insight. I came away...

Superclass: Way beyond a Lifestyles or Reality Show approach, it's both captivating and entertaining

I've just finished reading "Superclass" and not only did I enjoy it--Rothkopf is a wonderful writer--but it put into clear perspective some of the most important issues we all are facing today. Rothkopf goes beyond the Forbes list, lifestyles of the rich and famous approach that some authors have taken and he carefully avoids the melodrama and inuendo of conspiracy theories to instead give what is the most balanced view of...