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

by David Rothkopf

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 world in which we live. David Rothkopf is the author of Running the The Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power. He is the president and chief executive of Garten Rothkopf, an international advisory firm; a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and a teacher of international affairs at Columbia University’s Graduate School of International and Public Affairs. David Rothkopf estimates that there are six thousand members of the superclass—on a planet of six billion. They are the wealthiest, the most elite, and they hold the most power. 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. The six thousand people who compose the global superclass are shaping the history of our time.

Today’s superclass has achieved unprecedented levels of wealth and power. Nationalist critics have argued that they have more in common with one another than with their own countrymen. They have globalized more rapidly than any other group—they control globalization—but they have been accused of feeding the growing economic and social inequity that divides the world. What happens inside closed-door 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 exclusive interviews and extensive original reporting, Superclass answers all of these questions as 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 world in which we live. "Mr. Rothkopf's book argues that on many of the most critical issues of our time, the influence of all nation-states is waning, the system for addressing global issues among nation-states is more ineffective than ever, and therefore a power void is being created. This void is often being filled by a small group of players—'the superclass'—a new global elite, who are much better suited to operating on the global stage and influencing global outcomes than the vast majority of national political leaders." — Thomas L. Friedman, The New York Times "Mr. Rothkopf's book argues that on many of the most critical issues of our time, the influence of all nation-states is waning, the system for addressing global issues among nation-states is more ineffective than ever, and therefore a power void is being created. This void is often being filled by a small group of players—'the superclass'—a new global elite, who are much better suited to operating on the global stage and influencing global outcomes than the vast majority of national political lead...

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Economics, Business, History, Sociology, Society

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

David Rothkopf is the internationally acclaimed author of Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They are Making (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, March 2008), now available in over two dozen editions worldwide, and Running the World: The Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power (PublicAffairs, 2005), hailed by The New York Times as "the definitive history of the National Security Council." His next book, on the tug of war between public and private power worldwide and its consequences, is due out from Farrar Straus & Giroux late this year.

Rothkopf is President and CEO of Garten Rothkopf, an international advisory firm specializing in transformational trends especially those associated with energy choice and climate change, emerging markets and global risk. He is a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where he chairs the Carnegie Economic Strategy Roundtable. He was formerly chief executive of Intellibridge Corporation, managing director of Kissinger Associates and U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Policy.

Rothkopf has also taught international affairs and national security studies at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, has lectured widely and is the author of over 150 articles for leading publications worldwide.

Reviews

[Richard Derus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pearl Ruled

Rating: 3.25* of five (p189)

The Publisher Says: 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 closed-door 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 world in which we live.

David Rothkopf is the author of Running the World: The Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power. He is the president and chief executive of Garten Rothkopf, an international advisory firm; a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and a teacher of international affairs at Columbia University's Graduate School of International and Public Affairs.


My Review: I am on Outrage Overload. When next I am asked to declare citizenship, I'm going to say I am a denizen of Indignation. I just can not go further into this book, despite its enormous importance and its trenchant analysis of the world that so terrifyingly affirms that I'm correct to have nightmares of a world dominated by the contemptible and the greedy. The irredeemable people described in this book made me want to unswallow about every fifth paragraph.

It's election season here in the USA. I need not mention to any who have ever seen any of my posts before reading this review that I am a leftist, and more libertarian than authoritarian in my outlook. No candidate in US politics remotely approaches representing my viewpoint. REMOTELY. So I read books that explain the way these horrid people “think” in order to make the least bad decisions. I read books like Superclass to see what the politicos we-the-people end up sending into office are up against. (I do not count the president or his challenger among the ~6,000 Superclass members Rothkopf describes.)

But I've collapsed. I can't do any more. Yes I'll vote. No I won't vote for a theocrat with a mercantilist running mate. But I am all out of hope for the future, and all out of faith in the basic human decency of anyone who has more than $1.59 in his bank account.

Never the chirpiest or most sanguine of men, I'm now more liable than ever to pick up a red-hot poker and jab it at an office-holder than to greet her warmly and offer a donation to her re-election campaign. As to business leaders, I herewith volunteer for the firing squads that will eliminate them come the Revolution. I know how to shoot, and the chance to blast a Walton or a Koch sounds just ducky to me.

But that, I am sadly certain, is only a lonely old man's dream. The sheeple of Murrika will never rise up. They, too, will one day be the Rich and Powerful. If they work and pray and atone for their sins to the slitty-eyed vicious bastard of a gawd they've created, they will Be Winners!

Ha. As if. And reading this book would explain to the sheeple just exactly why that's such a crock of moldy cat poop. Which is why they won't, and why I had to stop.

Recommended to any and every one who wants to know why the world is how it is, and isn't yet terminally and cynically depressed already.

You will be.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

In-depth exploration of the global elite

Conspiracy theories thrive on mystery, and no group is more mysterious than the planet’s richest, most powerful people. Former U.S. Undersecretary of State David Rothkopf attempts to shed light on these shadowy figures using his experience with – and his detailed research into – their feeding habits and environments. Rothkopf deftly intersperses firsthand knowledge with hard data in describing the clout, backgrounds and goals of the people he identifies the “superclass.” The result is a thorough examination of the 6,000 members of the global elite, their sources of power and the staggering amounts of money they control. The book comes alive in its behind-the-scenes tales of how these movers and shakers really roll. Rothkopf coyly demurs from listing them, while name-dropping plenty – but he sometimes bogs down in theory and conjecture. getAbstract suggests his who’s who of the rich and famous for those seeking a glimpse of how the superclass runs the world.

[Nils · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like getting a free ride on a raconteur billionaire's private jet on the way to Davos. Rothkopf isn't shy about discussing the problems with the emergence of an unaccountable class of the superempowered (and their deviant analogs), but the narrative is almost entirely constructed from testimonials by members of that same class who Rothkopf has met or interviewed in his capacity as the publisher of FOREIGN POLICY and a principal in a consulting firm that caters to those same sorts of people. Indeed, Rothkopf might well be considered a member of the Superclass himself, though he's too modest to say so, and prefers to adopt a "Gee whiz, look who I was hanging out with" writerly persona. With that said, the book provides an excellent tour de horizon of who the Superclass are (preponderantly, older North Atlantic men), and how they got and how they wield their power. He's particularly interested in business and NGO elites, and the revolving door between the top echelons of business and government. Valuable, if not brilliant.

[Ryan Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chockablock with great statistics and wit. Rothkopf strenuously avoids any notion of conspiracy talk, and debunks them wherever they arrive. Since I'm pretty finance-illiterate and have the tiny business acumen to match, this was truly illuminating. Sure, he doesn't develop his point much beyond what he says in the first couple chapters. That's okay. The rest of the book is more or less a lot of great historical and anecdotal data. (Including things like the average income for a Goldman Sachs employee was $600,000 in 2006, the highest per average in the world. Second place goes to Lehman Brothers at $333,000.)

[Terry Earley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although he almost lost me a couple of times in the early chapters where he describes the "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", I am glad I persisted, because I have had this nagging question in my mind since the near fatal, world economic meltdown in 2009. That question was renewed in the summer and fall of 2011 when the Republican majority in the US House of Representatives caused the first US Treasury bond rating reduction ever by refusing to extend the US debt ceiling (as they did routinely for past Republican administrations).

That question was why in the world were the greedy, self-serving villains on Wall Street not punished for nearly bringing down the economy as they then further profited (and profiteered) from the painful, and still incomplete recovery?

Rothkopf makes it clear that big business now is international. Its interests do not necessarily align with national interests, but mainly with profit, and it corollary: power. Its senior executives rotate regularly in and out of US and other federal governments, influencing government decisions and priorities in favor of banks and business.

A discouraging read, but an important one the help understand where real power lies in our current and future world.

[noblethumos · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Rothkopf’s Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They Are Making (2008) presents an ambitious and provocative analysis of globalization’s new ruling stratum. Written by a former U.S. government official and policy insider, the book examines the emergence of a transnational elite—what Rothkopf calls the “superclass”—whose members exercise disproportionate influence over political, economic, and cultural outcomes across the globe. Through a blend of reportage, social theory, and elite sociology, Superclass seeks to illuminate the structures, networks, and ideologies that underpin global governance in the twenty-first century.


At the heart of Rothkopf’s argument is the claim that a relatively small group—approximately six thousand individuals worldwide—holds a decisive share of power in shaping global decisions. This “superclass” includes heads of state, corporate executives, financiers, media magnates, technocrats, and cultural influencers who together constitute an informal but interconnected global ruling class. Rothkopf’s definition of this elite is functional rather than merely economic: membership is determined not only by wealth but by access to decision-making power and global reach. The superclass operates through transnational institutions, private networks, and elite gatherings—ranging from the World Economic Forum in Davos to informal diplomatic and financial circuits—that collectively define the parameters of global policy.


The book is organized thematically, interweaving historical reflection with contemporary case studies. Rothkopf traces the lineage of elite power from the imperial aristocracies of earlier centuries to the corporate and technocratic elites of globalization. He argues that while previous elites were territorially bounded, the contemporary superclass transcends the nation-state. Their power derives from mobility, connectivity, and control over flows of capital, information, and technology. In this sense, Superclass echoes C. Wright Mills’s The Power Elite (1956), but on a planetary scale: whereas Mills focused on the interlocking elites of American society, Rothkopf maps the emergence of a globalized network of power brokers whose loyalties are increasingly post-national.


Rothkopf’s analytical framework combines sociological observation with policy analysis. Drawing upon network theory and political economy, he suggests that globalization has created a “networked aristocracy” characterized by dense interconnections and shared worldviews. The superclass, he argues, represents both the triumph and the pathology of globalization. On one hand, it facilitates coordination in an interdependent world; on the other, it perpetuates inequality, opacity, and democratic deficits. Rothkopf’s critique is nuanced: he does not portray the superclass as a conspiratorial cabal, but rather as a self-reinforcing elite whose dominance emerges organically from structural dynamics of globalization and neoliberal capitalism.


Empirically, Superclass relies on a combination of interviews, biographical sketches, and institutional mapping. Rothkopf profiles figures such as Rupert Murdoch, Bill Gates, and Vladimir Putin, illustrating how political, corporate, and media power converge in shaping global agendas. These vignettes provide vivid insight into the personalities and practices of the global elite, though they at times veer toward anecdotalism rather than systematic sociological analysis. The author’s insider access offers both the book’s greatest strength and its limitation: Rothkopf writes from within the world he describes, lending credibility and immediacy to his observations, yet occasionally tempering the critical distance necessary for rigorous structural critique.


Thematically, Superclass is as much a moral as an analytical inquiry. Rothkopf questions the legitimacy of global power exercised without accountability. He warns that the concentration of authority in a self-selecting transnational elite undermines the principles of democratic governance, as decision-making increasingly shifts to institutions and forums beyond public oversight. His concern is less with conspiracy than with systemic imbalance—the way globalization’s architecture privileges those who control flows of capital and information. The book thus aligns with broader critical traditions in global sociology and international political economy, sharing affinities with the work of Leslie Sklair, Saskia Sassen, and William Robinson, who have analyzed the rise of a “transnational capitalist class.”


Critically, Rothkopf’s analysis is compelling in its scope but uneven in its depth. While he captures the outlines of global elite formation, the book stops short of offering a fully developed theoretical model of power. His reliance on journalistic description occasionally substitutes for sociological precision, and his normative position—oscillating between admiration for global competence and anxiety over democratic erosion—remains ambivalent. Nevertheless, these tensions reflect the complexity of his subject matter: Rothkopf is both participant and critic of globalization’s upper echelons, seeking reform rather than revolution.


Stylistically, Superclass is written in accessible and engaging prose, bridging the gap between academic sociology and public discourse. Rothkopf’s journalistic sensibility ensures readability, though at the cost of analytical rigor in some sections. His tone is neither conspiratorial nor polemical, but reflective, inviting readers to consider the paradox of a global order governed by individuals who are both indispensable and unaccountable.


Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They Are Making is a significant contribution to the literature on globalization and elite power. It extends the sociological tradition of elite analysis into the global era, offering a broad empirical portrait of how power operates in a world of transnational networks and institutions. While the book may not achieve the theoretical depth of classical works such as Mills’s The Power Elite or Pierre Bourdieu’s analyses of social capital, it succeeds in capturing the contours and contradictions of the twenty-first-century global elite. Rothkopf’s account challenges readers to confront the political and ethical implications of globalization’s asymmetries: that in an increasingly interconnected world, democracy itself may depend on whether the superclass can be held accountable to the societies they so profoundly shape.

GPT

[Taha Rabbani · Rating 2 out of 5]

بیشتر برای این خوندم که به‌نظر سهل‌خوان و سرگرم‌کننده می‌اومد، که تقریباً هم همین‌طور بود. ولی دست‌آخر چیز چندانی عرضه نمی‌کنه.
کتاب در سال ۲۰۰۸ منتشر شده، اما چندباری از دونالد ترامپ هم، به‌عنوان یکی از اعضای ابرطبقه‌ی جهانی، اسم آورده. چین، در این کتاب، هنوز تبدیل به تهدید جدی نشده و رشد مداوم و پایدارش -برخلاف رشد افتان و خیزان هند- اون را به یگانه رقیب جدی آمریکا تبدیل نکرده. هربار از چین در کنار هند نام برده می‌شه، که الان که ما اختلاف دو کشور را می‌بینیم نکته‌ی بامزه‌ای به حساب می‌آد.
فارسی مترجم -شکرخدا- خوبه و برای همین هم خواندنش شکنجه نیست. مترجم‌هایی که فارسی بدی دارند جملات بی-سر-و-ته می‌نویسند و خواننده نمی‌تونه معنای خود جمله را بفهمه. اما در این کتاب جملات قابل‌فهم و -بیش از آن- خوشخوان‌اند، اما گاهی معنای بعضی جملات اشتباه به‌نظر می‌رسد.
نمونه: صفحه‌ی ۳۰۴
«بزرگترین کلیسای جهان، کلیسای انجیلی یوییدو فول در کره‌ی جنوبی، گنجایشی بیش از هشتصدهزار نفر دارد.»
درستش اینه که تعداد اعضای این کلیسا هشتصدهزار نفر است، نه گنجایش آن.

[Mario the lone bookwolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Authentic report of a wheel from the center of the clockwork of power

Please note that I put the original German text at the end of this review. Just if you might be interested.

It is very enlightening to see the development of world politics from a man with high offices and influential rope teams, who casually writes a book about his activities. Contrary to some, preferably based on hypotheses and allegations of not directly sitting at the source writers, the author can draw a credible picture of today's power relations based on his experience.
With the first and also in the logic of the text, again and again, a recognizable difference that he belongs to the dominant and the justifications of the ways of acting to maintain the current order as not necessarily firm feet. On earth sooner.
As if it were a matter of course, he describes in detail the practices, alliances, and procedures in the tangle of state, politics, business, and military. He uses autobiographical events to explain various realities and provides a gripping insight into an unattainable world for the average person. However, what makes this frightening number of thousands or even tens of thousands of people in their professional environment to make decisions and changes even more alarming is the casualness and self-evident, with which fundamental decisions are made.
Between charity event, election campaign spectacle and fundraising campaign to confirm their philanthropic sentiment, the top functionaries of the modern world, disappearing into ever higher spheres, lose themselves in ever greater alienation from the same.
The consciousness of the author and the guild represented by him escapes no trace of remorse, insecurity or reflection on their actions, on the contrary, the elite formation and the accompanying worldview seems legitimate and with all its consequences acceptable and worth striving for. This one-sided, advice-resistant worldview is especially disturbing for people with such high levels of education and influence.

Authentischer Bericht eines Rädchens aus dem Zentrum des Uhrwerks der Macht

Es ist sehr aufschlussreich, die weltpolitische Entwicklung aus der Sicht eines mit hohen Ämtern und einflussreichen Seilschaften ausgestatteten Mannes zu sehen, der über seine Aktivitäten so nebenbei ein Buch schreibt.
Im Gegensatz zu manchen, eher auf Hypothesen und Anschuldigungen aufgebauten Argumentationen von nicht direkt an der Quelle sitzenden Schriftstellern, kann der Autor aufgrund seiner Erfahrungen ein glaubwürdiges Bild der heutigen Machtverhältnisse zeichnen. Mit dem fundamentalen und auch in der Logik des Textes immer wieder erkennbaren Unterschied, dass er zu den Tonangebenden gehört und die Rechtfertigungen der Handlungsweisen zur Aufrechterhaltung der momentanen Ordnung als auf nicht unbedingt festen Füßen stehend erscheinen. Auf tönernen schon eher.
Als wäre es ein Ding der Selbstverständlichkeit schildert er ausführlich die Praktiken, Bündnisse und Vorgehensweisen in der Verfilzung von Staat, Politik, Wirtschaft und Militär. Er erläutert anhand autobiografischer Ereignisse verschiedene reale Begebenheiten und liefert einen packenden Einblick in eine für Durchschnittsbürger unerreichbare Welt. Doch was abgesehen davon, was diese verschwindend geringe Anzahl von einigen Tausend oder auch Zehntausend Menschen so in ihrem beruflichen Umfeld an Entscheidungen und Veränderungen bewirken, noch erschreckender wirkt, ist die Beiläufigkeit und Selbstverständlichkeit, mit der fundamentale Entscheidungen getroffen werden.
Zwischen Benefizveranstaltung, Wahlkampfspektakel und Spendensammelaktion zur Bestätigung der eigenen philanthropischischen Gesinnung verlieren die, sich in immer höhere Sphären entschwindenden, Spitzenfunktionäre der modernen Welt sich in immer weiterer Entfremdung von selbiger. Dem Bewusstsein des Autors und der durch ihn vertretenen Zunft entweicht kein Hauch von Reue, Unsicherheit oder Reflektion über das eigene Handeln, im Gegenteil scheint die Elitenbildung und das damit einhergehende Weltbild als legitimiert und mit all seinen Konsequenzen akzeptabel und erstrebenswert. Diese einseitige, beratungsresistente Weltsicht ist gerade bei Menschen mit so hoher Bildungsgrad und Einfluss höchst beunruhigend.

[Pooja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts read like US Weekly Does Davos-- which is fun and fine by me, by the way.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good information. If the author, who is himself an elite, hadn't written this book, then I don't know if this information would be out there. His inside perspective is important. The narrator of the audiobook is really good, but he does accents, which made me cringe. I was happy to finish the book only because of the dumb accents!

[Smiley III · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Rothkopf's work (along with Janine L. Weden's) provides a real "open door" to the reigns-holders of the Modern Era, as free from political cant as one could hope for (while not immune from noting how that cant itself can drive things). As always, knowing your political players is as essential as knowing your municipalities, state capitals, and major exports; only laziness of one form or another — including "throw your hands up" exasperation — exempts you from fully completing the task at hand (ever-shifting though it may be).

Who cares? You do.

The sort of petty jockying-for-power that make certain photo- and novel-plays vaguely interesting, if not downright titillating, really drives things more than anybody like to think (or advertise, outwardly); meanwhile, the sort of "bubble" that bursts once that intrigue, once piqued in the audience during the brief interval the "wowee" afore-mentioned narratives holds one's attention, inevitably runs its course, is still humming along above us, as much on jet-airplanes as in guarded-towers, fueling things, itself, like another (sort of) electricity.

(Not that this is Rothkopf's agenda — per se — not even a slightly fair assessment of his tone; rather, he spends no-little-amount of time and his own personal life experience "connecting the dots" at the closer-to-the-top folks, to show how their power constellations take on their own "shape." Whether or not things get lost in the shuffle is up to them — and, to the extent we become informed and equipped about it, maybe to us!)

[Wolfgang · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in Anthropology, this is a great book that describes how the tribes of the very wealthy intersect with each other in ways never done before. Making strange mixes such as Angelina Jolie or Bono developing relationship with Prime Minister Merkel of Germany.

What interest me about this class group is not their money much less their fame; but their mindset that anything is possible.

[Kristiane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book about who really controls the world, the Superclass. Although the book mentions some powerful individuals, it could have been more concrete on who the Superclass is. When you write a book about that intents to give insight to this class there is no point in holding back. But it feels like the author is holding some information back, and only giving us a glimpse through the curtain. I want more.

[Vince Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

In an age when national identities are losing the significance they once had in business, science and culture, the links of leaders in every area through education and social interaction create relationships that impact us all. How those links have formed is the focus of this interesting, up close glimpse.

[Todd Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Superclass describes the outsized influence that a few individuals in the fields of business, politics, religion and culture have on society. As you might expect, these individuals are self-serving with little interest in bettering the lives of those other than themselves (let alone society as a whole). As a result income inequality in developed nations continues to increase allowing authoritarianism to flourish in the discontent that results.

Unfortunately, Rothkopf's analysis isn't terribly insightful. Other than debunking a few obvious conspiracy theories about a shadowy elite who run the world from behind the scenes, little information is provided.

[Jazzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out very good, with good, informative, chapters and sections. By midway, it was either mired in repeating the things already said, or focusing on individuals (or groupings of individuals) that seems reaches for inclusion into a "superclass." By the final quarter and the official "recap" it was obvious the author was in full-on

The opening fourth makes this worth tackling. The second fourth keeps things interesting. But by the third fourth, this book begins overstaying its welcome.

[Taulant Ramabaja · Rating 2 out of 5]

While an interesting collection of facts (albeit sometimes de-contextualized), there was no clear thread of thought here.

[Arkam Frz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read...

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a pretty obnoxious and tone deaf tale.

[Kerwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is it alarming when world leaders gather in Davos to talk about ideas? This one felt timely, at the time.

[Adam Snider · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject of this book is the "superclass" - a group of people only a few thousand strong, and including a range of figures from (mainly) corporate, governmental, religious and celebrity backgrounds, who are able to wield tremendous power over the lives of millions or billions of their fellow human beings around the globe. It's an interesting topic and the author certainly manages to keep it so throughout - mixing in biography, history, and personal anecdote in order to spice up what could have been a very dry description.

Rothkopf also (thankfully) manages to avoid the two extremes so often found in discussions of the superwealthy - the attempt to portray them as superhuman geniuses above the level of normal men, or as sociopathic monsters leeching off the sweat and toil of the common worker. He builds off the scholarship of writers such as Mill who were quite hostile to the superclass (as it existed in his time, anyway) while also dealing with the often quite self-congratulatory figures he's studying and their hangers-on without ever allowing either side to completely warp his perspective. It's quite an achievement.

At the same time, Rothkopf spends enough time with individual figures and specific, often (to my mind) marginal issues that I (and I doubt I'm the only one) got a bit frustrated at the absence of a broader perspective of how the superclass works and maintains itself over time. It's pretty obvious that the author is more interested in - perhaps even fascinated by - the individuals who hold power than the phenomenon they constitute as a group. There's also a tendency to wander a bit - the chapter on "How to Become a Member" of the superclass spends most of the first half of the chapter discussing conspiracy theories and secret societies, and only deals vaguely with the putative topic of the chapter (although to be fair, he did go into some more detail on these topics in previous chapters).

All in all, an interesting but definitely flawed read.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

"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 world in which we live" AMAZON

[Michael D · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Super' books not only entertain and provide information, they provide a paradigm-changing experience. Although laborious (in places) as the Old Testament geneologies,'Superclass' did this for me. More than before i realize, that here in the U.S. (and maybe elsewhere,) free peoples need not only be wary of overly-big government but ALSO big business with its inordinate influence on legislative outcomes and politics through lobbyists, campaign contributions, and the 'swivel-door policy' occuring at top levels in the public/private sectors. We are being fleeced from both ends. How do we neutralize Superclass power (money and connections,) as well as over-reaching government? Study the issues and vote INTELLIGENTLY. That means unplugging from the cable network pundits (FOX and MSNBC for example) who make fortunes not by illuminating the current issues, but by polarizing folks who want only entertainment and a daily confirmation of their pre-conceived ideologies. Grrr.
Rank and file Americans.. it's wakey, wakey time :]

[David Roycroft · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's nothing new about the way elites network. What is new is who these elites are and the growing impact of the decisions they make. The author demonstrates that with gloabilzation financial and corporate elites have become more powerful and more important than national or government elites. He argues that international organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank, most of which were organized after World War II and are unevenly weighted in favor of the allied nations that won that war, are outdated and ill-equipped to address problems in the modern world, and he points to institutions like the Clinton Global Initiative as model of the kind of organizations that might emerge as problem solvers in the 21st century. There is nothing earth-shattering new in this book, but ir offers many insights and what most readers will find is a comprehensive, fresh new valuable and timely way of looking at the world.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid primer on a often misunderstood group of power brokers. The author's perspective is that of someone who has spent considerable time on the periphery of the Superclass and has gained access to many of its members over the years. This is a sober and balanced overview that will disappoint readers looking for an anti-elite polemic or a slavish defense of privilege and power.

Reasons why I could have rated this book higher: Terrific access to the subjects, thoughtful attempts to place the current elite within a historical framework, demonstrated willingness to consider costs and benefits of current social arrangments

Reasons why I could have rated this book lower: Analysis and conclusions are not particularly original, author does not offer specific solutions to mitigate the weaknesses of the Superclass

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rothberg writes about the 6,000 who comprise the global elite--in government, in finance, in the media, in the military, and in religion-and crime. We can understand that they have achieved incredibly great wealth- and are rapidly increasing it- and that they have vast power on a global level. But Rothberg does not look very deeply into the problem and is certainly not very critical of the elite. As he is someone who worked for Kissinger Associates, I feel he is a wannabe member of the Superclass. The book is not without interest and is written in an engaging style, but leaves me with the feeling that our best hope is that the superclass knows what it's doing and can take care of (many of) the rest of us. I fear that, as our world one day crashes down around us, the supers will be able to save their own privileged skins-at the expense of the billions of long-suffering humanity.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of outdated (12 years is a long time in this space), not very in depth (author knows "well known people" and has access to them, but doesn't have domain specific expertise in any of the interesting areas to really be a part of those communities), and no really novel conclusions, but interesting topic (in this case, that ~6k people across a few domains have substantial influence in how the world is run). He appears to recognize the criticism that most of the people he lists are there because they happen to be at the top of institutions they themselves didn't create or even substantially shape -- I'm personally far more interested in entrepreneurs and creators across domains who have made new things, vs. people who are born to the right people, go to the right schools, attend the right parties, and get the right jobs to run things they never could have built themselves.

[Andrea James · Rating 2 out of 5]

For such a long book, I'm not sure there was any more depth than a magazine article albeit written by someone who goes to Davos and is part of of the upper echelons of academia.

It has fun titbits about how much some people earn, how much people spend on planes and yachts, most of which I already knew, so even those bits did not really provide the light entertainment that it otherwise would have done.

Had it not been the audio version of book, I don't think I would have finished it. In fact, I only finished it last week and yet I'm struggling to think of what to include in this review. I guess it had the memory lifespan of a throwaway article in a Sunday newspaper supplement. Oh well.

[Andrew French · Rating 4 out of 5]

I call them Reality Makers. Author David Rothkopf calls them, the Superclass. They are the Power Elite. The people who really and truly run the world. From political figures to CEOs of multinational conglomerates; they are the billionaires and millionaires who wield power and influence over global finance, resources, and governments. At the top, everyone knows everyone else; creating a tight knit global community without borders.

Having rubbed shoulders with these very people, David Rothkopf writes a splendid book about his own experiences with the Superclass, their agendas, the way they think about the world, what drives them, and the future we are headed towards with them at the helm.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A descriminating look at who is really running the world. Probably many whom you would expect, but the question really is how can any one person influence these people? Mister Rothkopf breaks down what their lives are like in general and what influences their thinking, but it is discouraging how many of them are much more interested in getting the next percentage from the masses than bringing about a better world. I give it an A-.