United States of Oligarchy: How America's Wealthiest Ally with Dictators, Weaken the U.S., and Destroy Democracy

by Casey Michel

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

384 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication August 4, 2026

About the author

Casey Michel is an author, journalist, and director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program with the Human Rights Foundation. He is the author of AMERICAN KLEPTOCRACY, named by The Economist as one of the "best books to read to understand financial crime"; described by The Atlantic as "brilliantly clear"; and called "masterful" by Financial Times.

He is also the author of FOREIGN AGENTS, which received starred reviews from both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, and was one of the “biggest foreign-policy book releases of 2024,” according to Foreign Policy.

He is currently sanctioned by the Russian regime for his work.

His new book, UNITED STATES OF OLIGARCHY, will track the rise and reign of America's oligarchic class, and the damage done to America's democracy—as well as how America's wealthiest class has allied with dictators around the world.

UNITED STATES OF OLIGARCHY will be released in the summer of 2026. All of Michel's books are published by St. Martin's Press.

Michel's writing on offshoring, foreign lobbying, authoritarianism, and illicit wealth has appeared in The New York Times, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, and The Washington Post, 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 served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in northern Kazakhstan. He currently lives in New York, where he is insanely fortunate to be married to Versha Sharma.

Reviews

[Jonika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book felt like a missing puzzle piece in understanding some of the malevolent backend corruption that has been forming since Trump’s first term. The book is well organized, with succinct arguments and straightforward explanations of the current impacts oligarchic forces have had on wealth inequality in present-day America. It starts out with historical context regarding some of the major legislative and congressional rollbacks on protections that have thus allowed current day oligarchs to exploit loopholes and create unfathomable wealth for themselves. The main focus of the book being the many ways that American corporate oligarchs have shown themselves to willingly sell themselves to foreign autocracies in the name of individual greed and capitalist accumulation, consequently bringing the US the closest it’s ever been to an authoritarian regime.

Focusing primarily on Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, Jason Kushner, Donald Trump and the myriad relationships they have built with fascist movements and authoritarian regimes in countries such as Russia, Israel, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Musk’s ties to the CCP and Russia as well as Kushner’s role in the Middle East were mostly new to me, though this new information left me feeling more jaded than surprised.

Trying to stay politically well informed has felt increasingly difficult in the past decade as Trump’s administration and billionaire-owned media companies have created smoke screens with how and what they choose to report on, so it was refreshing to have a book that lays out some of the most important issues and relationships that have been brushed under the rug by major media. There has also been added difficulty in finding well-researched books that have up to date information regarding the Trump administration—which is a bit of a losing battle as Trump is constantly pushing out corrupt executive changes—but this book had information as recent as late 2025, so it’s about as current as it can get! I definitely will be getting a physical copy to annotate when this book is released!

[always reading ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
🎧 This was a fantastic read. Meticulously researched with an abundance of details, this book highlights the major weather gap and inequality while looking at who controls what. I think in an age when we are seeing our first trillionaire while simultaneously watching the average working American struggle to just get by, this is a must read. The tone, however, did feel very academic. My only real complaint is I was not a fan of the narrator. I didn't like his voice; it was very monotone and had me feeling like I was listening to someone read a textbook.

[Thomas Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This richly detailed and thoroughly researched investigation paints a picture of the MAGA-era American oligarchs as Lex Luthor-like mega-villains. Consider the Trump dreams of Greenland and the oligarchs' fever dream of Praxis, a proposed city to which they can repair for global dominion.

This mess of power-mad techno-bros was enabled when Justice Anthony Kennedy authored the landmark 5-4 majority opinion in the 2010 Citizens United v. FEC decision, which ruled that the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent political expenditures by corporations, labor unions, and other associations. In his opinion, Justice Kennedy argued that political speech is indispensable to a democracy and that the First Amendment does not allow Congress to limit this speech based on the speaker's corporate identity.

• Money as Speech: The court determined that political spending is a form of protected speech, meaning restrictions on independent expenditures equate to limiting free expression.
• Defining Corruption: Kennedy’s opinion narrowed the definition of corruption, stating that only quid pro quo corruption (direct exchanges of money for political favors) justified limiting political participation. Independent spending, he argued, does not inherently lead to corruption.
• The Marketplace of Ideas: Kennedy famously stated that "there is no such thing as too much speech". He maintained that the government cannot level the electoral playing field by silencing certain voices, but should instead let citizens evaluate messages in the marketplace of ideas. [1, 4]

To balance the ruling's allowance of unlimited independent spending, Kennedy relied heavily on the promise of transparency. He argued that instant, real-time disclosure of election spending over the internet would allow shareholders and voters to hold organizations accountable.
However, this assumption has been widely debated. The proliferation of "dark money"—where funds are channeled through non-profit organizations that are not legally required to disclose their donors—has largely obstructed the accountability and transparency that Justice Kennedy anticipated. Critics, and even some proponents of the ruling, argue that the expected transparency failed to materialize in the way he envisioned. Some of the analysis of the Kennedy opinion in this book:

...in perhaps the most myopic line written in the entire history of the Supreme Court, “The appearance of influence or access will not cause the electorate to lose faith in our democracy.” It was all a jumble of contradiction, a confused mess of sloppy logic and sloppier history. As analyst Matt Ford wrote, Kennedy’s reasoning was “a stark and somewhat blasphemous vision for the American republic.” Rather than an electorate of informed citizenry and republican virtue, Kennedy claimed that the constitutional framers had outlined a nation of pure transactionalism— one in which money would buy political favor, and vice versa.

So from the Kennedy-delivered Super PACs money gave birth to power which corrupted and engendered the monsters of corruption: the oligarchs. And where are we now with the skewed wealth? Frontmatter statistics:

Years in which the bottom 90 percent of America owned more than the top 1 percent: 1946– 2005
First year the four hundred richest Americans paid a lower tax rate than the bottom 50 percent of Americans: 2018

We are treated here to the evolution of the idea of and warning against oligarchism from classical Greece to American history:

Surveying the ruling class in Athens, Aristotle decided that the literal definition of oligarchy was too pat. To the philosopher, oligarchy was something more, beyond mere numbers and power. It was better understood as a system in which “men of property have the government in their hands.”

...

As Aristotle saw it, you could also define oligarchy by what it wasn’t. To Aristotle, the antithesis of oligarchy was clear: democracy. As the philosopher continued, “Democracy [is] the opposite, when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers.” And yet, even then, Aristotle wasn’t finished. 40 The philosopher concluded that it wasn’t simply the number of rulers, or the acreage of property ownership, that defines an oligarchy. Rather, it was wealth— the amount of wealth associated with the oligarchs

...

The Founders “feared a . . . source of power that could damage their grand experiment in popular government: extraordinarily rich Americans whose aims did not align with democracy,” scholar George Thomas noted. 60 One early American official, Gouverneur Morris, worried that “the schemes of the rich” would take advantage of the passions of the people, resulting in “a violent aristocracy, or a more violent despotism.” As Morris described, oligarchic wealth “tends to corrupt the mind and to nourish its love of power, and to stimulate it to oppression.”

...

Sumner railed against the “slave oligarchy” trying to make the entirety of North America— and potentially far more— safe for slavery. “All who seek purity in the National Government must unite in this purpose,” Sumner thundered, “for only by the overthrow of this corrupt oligarchy, which, beginning in the denial of all human rights, necessarily shows itself in barbarism and corruption of all kinds, can a better order of things prevail.” For Sumner, the rise of an “Oligarchical Combination of slave masters, unknown to the Constitution, never anticipated by its founders, and existing in defiance of their example, has entered into and possessed the National Government, like an Evil Spirit.”

Hawaii is explored in depth as a case of the full range and impact of an American oligarchy

Lili‘uokalani’s oligarchic opponents whined that her proposals “reduced white influence”— a reality they would do everything, and use as many tools as possible, to oppose. But it wasn’t just opposition. As Dole’s lone biographer described, the oligarch and his coconspirators “began a campaign of attack upon every part of the [Hawaiian] government.”

...

Pushing through yet another constitution in 1894, these oligarchs restricted voting even further, limiting it to only the wealthiest, most propertied— and, needless to say, white— residents, with well over 90 percent of the islands now unable to have any say in the country’s politics. In the oligarchs’ minds, “The Hawaiians . . . and any other non-Teutonic members must be prevented from voting.” It was the equivalent of the mainland’s Jim Crow regime, set in the middle of the Pacific. 118 But it wasn’t just the voting restrictions. Any residual evidence of Hawaiian nationality— language, culture, identity— would have to be eliminated. As Helena Allen, who authored the only biography of Dole, wrote, “The Republic— an oligarchy— saw the last remnants of Hawaiian culture being changed.

...

With the final ascent of the oligarchy, Hawaii had effectively collapsed into a white supremacist police state. Any dissent, any opposition, any criticism would not be brooked.

I have a tendency to thank of Teddy Roosevelt as a macho racist proto-MAGA type. Here his more circumspect and progressive side is explored.

...he called for Americans to do everything they could to thwart a “civilization of a mere plutocracy.” It was a world that Roosevelt recognized intimately, given his upbringing. The “plutocrats”— the term Roosevelt used to describe the oligarchs— had already created a nation of “selfishness so appalling” that it could, if unchecked, usher in a “destruction hitherto unequaled.” It was language that seemed lifted from the socialists burgeoning throughout the era, but came from the mouth of a president attached to greater wealth than perhaps any before.

Some of the international reach and motivation of profiled oligarchs, like Zuck

...telling his staff that “everyone need[ ed] to tackle this intensively right away, if Facebook’s going to get into China anytime soon.” To that end, Zuckerberg laid out a three-year plan to have Facebook “fully operational” in China, from opening a sales office to partnering with a “senior Chinese leader” in order to build out a formal “partnership” with the Chinese government.

...and wannabe statesman Kushner

...even as a key player in the Trump administration, Kushner still had that albatross slung around his neck: that skyscraper at 666 Fifth Avenue, dragging Kushner’s corporate wealth like an anchor, down into the deepest red. There had been one moment, right before the election, when Kushner thought he’d found a lifeline. Joining his father, Kushner sought out a half-billion-dollar investment in the building from a leading figure in another Middle Eastern nation: Qatar. Connecting with Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, the former head of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund (and a man also known by his own initials, HBJ), the Kushners thought they’d initially found success, with HBJ pledging $ 500 million on the condition that the Kushners could raise the rest of the needed financing elsewhere. Negotiations bled into 2017, well into the new Trump era— an era in which Jared Kushner was suddenly America’s chief diplomat, in practice if not in name. However, after revelations about a number of other potential investors in the building sparked public criticism, the Qataris pulled out— leaving the Kushners once more on the hook for spiraling debt payments. And then, the blockade began. In early June 2017, the Saudis, Emiratis, and a number of other regional regimes severed both diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar. Invasion hung in the air, with Saudi and Emirati troops massing across Qatar’s border. A tinderbox looked set to explode. Even more shocking than the blockade, however, was Washington’s response. Rather than act as the neutral arbiter many expected, the Trump administration immediately threw its weight behind the Saudi and Emirati moves— a stance led by none other than Kushner, who, according to CNN journalist Vicky Ward, “greenlit” the entire operation in the first place. “The Saudis would not have risked moving forward without permission from somebody,” one Tillerson aide said. The conclusion was inescapable: “That person must have been Jared.”

...

MBS knew, Kushner was a man who, if the political winds in America blew in a slightly different direction, could help take the Gulf tyrant to ever-greater heights. The Saudi panel screening investments advised against partnering with Affinity and Kushner. But MBS immediately overruled them. Kushner and Affinity would get Saudi funding— $ 2 billion to start, and potentially much more down the road. And MBS would once more have a partner in the US who he could steer in whichever direction he wanted.

Then, these network globally:

No one had forced figures like Bezos, Zuckerberg, or Pichai to build out their own links with tyrants around the world, gutting their pretenses about supporting liberal democracy...

The author also directly explored the bizarre Putinist-Far Right connection:

I’d arrived in Moldova to report on the annual conference of the World Congress of Families (WCF). The WCF was itself the foremost fundamentalist group anywhere in the world: a transnational organization dedicated to rolling back as many of the basic elements of liberal society— abortion access, same-sex marriage, even individual rights writ large— that it could find. It was, then as now, the leading bridge between hard-right American Evangelicals and fundamentalist counterparts in Russia, receiving funding from oligarchs on both sides

...

“Putin is an imperialist,” he said, wiping his mouth. “But what’s worse: Imperialism, which will kill your body, or the gender ideologies that the [West] pushes, which will kill your soul?”

...

He is also one of Russia’s most notorious oligarchs, a billionaire henchman for Putin, dedicated to obliterating democracy wherever and however he can, whether in Russia or elsewhere. Malofeev was one of the key figures behind Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014, overseeing much of the post-invasion investment in occupied Ukraine— including, memorably, a theme park dedicated to Russian history.

...

The date was January 6, 2021. And the speaker was a man who would later be outed not only as one of the WCF’s recent keynote speakers, but as the author of Trump’s entire strategy to overturn the 2020 election and overthrow American democracy entirely: John Eastman.

...

as Russian journalists later discovered, the starting gun for the Kremlin’s invasion preparation rang out the day Ukraine went after Medvedchuk. “Three sources in the Russian president’s entourage confirmed that it was this story of the destruction of Medvedchuk’s [television channels] and the fact that [Ukraine] began to ‘harass’ him that became the last straw in Putin’s decision to prepare for a military operation,” Russia’s Verstka Media reported. As one of Putin’s acquaintances said, “[ Putin] took it as a personal attack,” viewing it as a Ukrainian escalation against him and his oligarchic proxies.

...

Most spectacular, American Ethane’s ownership group at one point even included Roman Abramovich, perhaps the most successful (and certainly most notorious) Russian oligarch of the bunch— a man who’d not only purchased the Chelsea Football Club, but who slid his illicit wealth into offshore vehicles around the world, slithering into the highest ranks of Western policy and cultural circles in the process.

...

The fact that a supposedly American firm like American Ethane was secretly controlled by a series of Russian oligarchs would have been problematic enough. Yet as with other American corporations, American Ethane had additionally tossed a raft of donations to US politicians far and wide: to the most powerful Republicans in states like Louisiana, to a fund overseen by House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, and even to the reelection campaign of Mike Johnson, who would soon become the Speaker of the House. The donations themselves weren’t titanic, coming in at only five figures, but they effectively illustrated how American corporations could turn into a sieve for foreign funds to drown American politics.

Of course, Musk, too.

Musk didn’t stop there, and quickly slid into outright genocidal apologia. “China’s repression of the Uyghurs,” Musk claimed, “had two sides.” Musk didn’t bother to describe what those “sides” were, or if, for instance, there were also “two sides” to previous genocides like the Holocaust. China may be committing horrific crimes, yes— but, as Musk saw it, perhaps the Uyghurs deserved it? Who were we to judge?

...

in early 2022, Musk immediately swooped in to aid Kyiv’s efforts against Russian troops. Both Musk and Ukrainian officials realized that Starlink— the Musk-led company arranging satellite coverage in far-flung reaches of the world— was perfectly placed to help Ukrainian troops converse across the battlefield. Musk even directly oversaw Starlink’s Ukrainian strategy, convening with company engineers for days on end, outlining ways the company could help circumvent Russian jamming. Soon, thousands of Starlink terminals flooded into Ukraine, with Musk transforming into the most impactful nongovernmental official of the early phases of the war. As one Ukrainian commander said, “Without Starlink, we would have been losing the war.”

...

rolling back Russian troops and proving the futility of such colonial expansion was clearly necessary. Ukraine was on the frontline of the fight for not only tangible topics like territory, but things far airier and far more important like freedom, democracy, and anti-imperialism writ large. For Musk, though, there was something more important yet: Armageddon. At least, that’s what later reporting revealed, trying to parse Musk’s thoughts during late 2022, when his views on the war— and on the rightness of Ukraine’s fight— flipped on their heads. In Musk’s mind, Ukraine’s successful parries against Russia were less signs of strategic success, and more risks that could lead directly to nuclear annihilation. As Ukraine’s pushback continued throughout 2022, Musk went into “crisis-drama mode,” with the oligarch suddenly starting to worry that Ukrainian success— and Starlink’s key role therein— could “lead to a nuclear war.” 698 Musk’s concerns didn’t arise in a vacuum. With his troops smothered and scattered, Putin had also begun rattling a nuclear saber, claiming that further Ukrainian advances would result in Moscow unleashing nuclear warfare on Kyiv...

Scholarly debate on the impact of such elitism:

One of the first to tackle the question head-on was Robert Andersen<, a sociology professor at the University of Toronto. Surveying dozens of countries, Andersen tried to answer one question: Did economic inequality really have a detrimental effect on democracy?

....

...democracy— Andersen discovered that “income inequality matters much more.” Overall wealth was still important, but the economic disparity within a country was far more pertinent to that nation’s support for democracy. Democracy, as he wrote, has “less support in countries with high income inequality.” The more unequal a nation, the less the support for democracy, full stop.

...

Other scholars have confirmed as much in the years since. In 2024, South Korean scholar Sang Kyung Lee determined that “where inequality is more severe, citizens in liberal democracies are more attracted to authoritarian leaders.”

[Due to GR space limitations, my full review is on my blog.]

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of a book that takes a look behind the curtain, reveling the true power players whose whims can start wars, crash economies, deny people their rights, and ruin everything in their hubris to control, get rich, and tell the rest of the people how they should run their lives, lives that are getting harder and harder to maintain.

There are many reasons I am glad that I am not a parent, especially in this world that we have allowed to become what it is. How can one tell their child that you can grow up to be what you want and who you are, in a world that is getting darker and more controlling. How can one tell their children to be right, when nothing around them is right. Presidents brag about insider trading on tariffs. Starting wars to distract from his crimes Local governments won't put in stop signs at busy intersections until they study the problem for years, but will put in data centers after a quick closed door meeting. Police are not the helpers, they are enablists, standing tall against common citizens, tear gassing, beating people or shooting them dead, without repercussion. We live in a world where a man giving a silver spoon decides what we should think and feel, a man with more luck than brains. Or maybe a strong serpent brain, enabled by toadies who lick the boots of those with money, in hopes that some cents will fall on them. This book in many ways is not new, but to see it all in one place is sad, and depressing. But something that should be read, shared, and passed on. However avoid social media, for one might be shadow banned. United States of Oligarchy: How America's Wealthiest Ally with Dictators, Weaken the U.S., and Destroy Democracy is written by author, journalist and canary in the coal mine Casey Michel and gives a portrait of our time, how we got here, where we are going and how doomed we all are.

The book opens with a series of factoids discussing changes in wealth, and how this disparity is seemingly getting larger. This section focuses on a few names that will become quite familiar. From there we go to a meeting, taking place in 2016, with a true despot the leader of the United Arab Emirates, best known as MBZ, and the man who would be king if he could aide to the future President of the United States Donald Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner. MBZ skipped meeting the current President Barack Obama, mainly because he wanted to get in first to see what access would cost, and how cheap he could get it. And access was quite good. This sets up how the current presidency and how America in many ways is beholden to many outside influences. Which are nothing in comparison to the tech bros of the future, the social media barons who influence elections, news cycles, and young men, who want to be them. Michel looks to the past at early robber barons and titans of industry, who seem almost quaint in what they wanted to do to America, in comparison to this current crop, who seem ignorant in many ways, unwilling to learn, and uninterested in knowledge outside of what they know.

The book is depressing, I won't sugarcoat that. One can see the dumbing of America, how we went from being independent and free cowboys, to people who like the boots of those in power. Michel looks at quite a lot of different things, militarization of police, the rise of the military industrial complex, men's issues, and tracks them all to the same group of people, Michel is a very good writer, as his previous book showed. Also Michel backs up is information with a lot of research, which makes it hard to go well that can't be true. Sadly it is. Michel gives profiles of people both famous, infamous, and those who like to remain hidden. Much of this might be familar, but again seeing it all in one place is pretty remarkable. And again sad.

Not a happy book, but one that should be read, and shared. I am sure some people around me are a little tired of my dropping bits from this book on them. Though quite a few are getting angrier, and that is a good thing. I look forward to more from Michel, as he is fighting the good fight, and is very good at showing what many of us are missing.

[Erin Clemence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: August 4, 2026

Casey Michel is a journalist and political writer, focusing on the corruption and greed in the American government and worldwide and his new book “United States of Oligarchy: How America's Wealthiest Ally with Dictators, Weaken the U.S., and Destroy Democracy” is an eye-opening and controversial investigation of the dirty deeds that go on behind closed political doors.

Michel talks about what an oligarchy is and its appearance throughout history, as well as how it has made its way into the U.S, where it has secured a foothold. Michel talks about which politicians have allowed oligarchy to settle in, which countries and governments have benefited, and different laws and sanctions that have historically been put in place to try and eradicate it.

As a non-American, it was interesting for me to learn a little more about which former American presidents have helped or harmed democracy throughout their tenure. I also appreciated a little bit of knowledge being dropped on how foreign governments work, how they manage to infiltrate governments in the West, and different manipulations certain government officials have tried to use to get what they want (regardless of their geography). It is absolutely no surprise to me that there is corruption at every level in government (not just in the U.S, either, obviously), but Michel gives specifics as to the “how’s” and “why’s”.

I normally don’t like when authors use their books as a platform to preach their political leanings, but since “Oligarchy” was a political story, it was to be expected that Michel’s affiliations would rear its head. It is very clear which side Michel supports but, when he talks about corruption, he does his best to be bipartisan, ensuring that he highlights different leads from both parties and their dirty deeds.
“Oligarchy” is specifically focused on Jared Kushner, as he comes up often throughout the book, but other mega-rich moguls with political influence, such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and the heads of companies like Apple and Nike, make their appearances, too.

The book jumped back and forth between time periods frequently, but the point was clear- democracy is on its way out in the United States (and much of the Western world, to be honest) and Michel’s “Oligarchy” is a warning sign, written in hopes of opening up America’s eyes to a potentially very dangerous turn of events.

[Jack Reidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Sofia Jordao · Rating 4 out of 5]

NetGalley Arc
Rating: 4.5/5
Summary:
In a captivating novel detailing the rise of modern oligarchy in the United States, author Casey Michel paints a vivid picture of how foreign regimes, domestic policies, and judicial rulings, such as Citizens United, have shaped American politics.

In his book, Michel weaves a narrative depicting how modern oligarchy has come to be by revisiting past government initiatives and histories of the United States. In highlighting pivotal policies of the past, Michel shows how the U.S. has gotten into their current political situation as he further examines how continued partisan disagreements have perpetuated systemic issues.

Additionally, the political and financial backgrounds of contentious figures such as Jared Kushner and Elon Musk are explained within the context of U.S. foreign and domestic policy. The novel takes care to explain how Kushner and Musk have involved themselves in American politics despite seemingly no qualifications, building on Michel’s concept of the modern oligarch.

Personal Review:
I found this novel deeply fascinating. It was very eye-opening regarding the current state of affairs in American politics. For the most part, I did not know about Jared Kushner and his involvement with the Middle East, and I found that this book did a very good job at explaining that in an accessible way.

Furthermore, the sections where the Russia/Ukraine situation was discussed were informative. While I understood the baseline level conflicts between the two countries, there was so much that I learned from this book.

Honestly, this book was incredible, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to learn about modern oligarchy and its parallels to the days of the robber barons.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of the audiobook : 5 stars
The narrator has the right gravitas to give the information the tone and severity it deserves, easy to understand at speeds 0.75x to 2x.

Review of the book : 5 stars
Just like with Casey Michel's previous book, I have spent the entire time reading this book wondering : how are people not screaming endlessly about this? United States of Oligarchy is a well researched, superbly well written account of the history of oligarchy in the United States, as well as policies that have either tried to stop or to aid oligarchs and other rich people gain power through the country's political system. This book makes the very obvious argument that a government controlled by a small group of very wealthy individuals regardless of election results is not, in fact, a functioning democracy, and presents not only how it got to this point, but how it could potentially change and become less of an oligarchy.

I couldn't be more direct, everyone should read this book. Especially people who live in the United States, but also elsewhere, as the situation may be very obvious in the USA, but other countries are absolutely not immune to this rise of power concentration in the hands of a few rich individuals. And it is only through education and better understanding the current situation that a population can rise up and demand things change.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press (for the eARC) and Macmillan Audio (for the ALC) for the opportunity to read this book. United States of Oligarchy comes out on August 4th, 2026.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

United States of Oligarchy is a book, I think everyone should read. I'm a Conservative Republican and though the book leaned toward liberal views, I surprised myself by agreeing with them. Living in the United States of America, you can see in recent years that a lot of the principles our country was founded on are slipping away, slowly. This book brought to the foresight of my mind how this is happening. It has seemed to me that those that are rich keep getting richer, while those that are poorer keep getting poorer, in recent years. This book showed me how that's happening.

Reading this book, I realized just how close we are to becoming a nation that is no longer democratic. Some of the information in this book, blew my mind. I could tell that Michel did a lot of research on this topic. I knew American companies, like FB and Apple, have gone to China, but I was surprised how much money they get by relocating to countries, like China. Then because they are getting money, they don't want to stop it, and start changing their philosophies and doing that countries foreign lobbying. This book scared me and made me mad.

Tentative Publication Date: Aug 4, 2026

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Casey Michel for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

@Netgalley @Stmartinspress #caseymichel #TheUnitedStatesofOligarchy

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I think it’s safe to say that modern Democracy is being undermined every day. We all know it, but how did we get here? United States of Oligarchy helps to fill in the gaps of knowledge that some people have missed.

The acceleration of the dude tech bros enveloping America happened after the Citizens United decision by the United States Supreme Court. The court ruled that corporations were actually people and could therefore contribute to political campaigns. This seismic shift is how the United States has gotten to where it is today.

America has lost the plot, so-to-speak, and it is important to know why. United States of Oligarchy shines a light on the Bezos/Musk/Thiel, etc machines and how they are influencing leaders and controlling governments, all in an effort to get richer and have more power. The oligarchs have literally stolen elections and admitted it!

In short, people are going to listen to this or read this because they care about the fall of democracy. The harder part is getting the people who drink the Flavor-Aid to do so.

The less said about the narrator of the audiobook, the better. Did not pass the vibe check. He sounded like an old-school radio guy who pukes out his words in a fake voice.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

United States of Oligarchy discusses what many may consider the true shadow government…technocrats and billionaires. whose interest is primarily growing their wealth and power.

Casey Michel discusses how the new class of oligarchs, defined as individuals who believe they have a right to rule only because of their wealth, have increased dramatically over the last 20 years. A key thread of the story is how many of the billionaires who were originally liberal in thought (free speech and libertarian advocates) have slowly reversed their positions as their wealth is tied up in authoritarian states.

One fascinating example of potential future oligarch rule is the Praxis Network State which is interested in building a society that is “ruled” by AI and “prompted” by elite technologists through their startup society. As Michel discusses, this network state and other examples are funded by the same people publicly advising the government.

Michel does an okay job trying to remain neutral but it does lean left quite a bit. He uses some Democrat examples, but most examples are Republican. I would’ve liked to see whether billionaires known to be on the left are also trying to have similar influence.

Overall a good read and recommend to anyone trying to stay up to speed on current events and policy shifts that may not be highlighted in the news cycle.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
I feel like this is precisely what you think it's going to be. It's so clear that a lot of research and care was put into writing this. As a Canadian, there were some subjects, political structures, and people that I am not familiar with, but I still got the message. I went into it understanding the basics of what oligarchy is and, knowing what I do know about the US, nothing came as much of a surprise. Essentially, I feel like I got proper background knowledge and additional context to what I already know and what we are already seeing unfold in front of our faces. This is a pretty comprehensive account of oligarchy in the United States and also includes strategy for dismantling that system today. The US is a dystopia and, as they say, they're heading towards either reform or revolution; every day it's looking more and more like revolution is going to be the only option for the people. The audiobook narration of this novel was done with professionalism, although I do wish it was a little more expressive, it was appropriate for the kind of book this is. If you're unsure why there is no such thing as an ethical billionaire, give this a read.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for sending me this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. Releases: August 4th, 2026.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative book about the impact that billionaires, in particular the Oligarchs (Thiel, Zuckerberg, Bezos, Musk, Pichai, Cook, Kushner and Ellison's) have on the US government. Their goal is to protect their wealth by any means particularly by destroying democracy. The book delves into the impact that Citizens United Supreme Court decision has had on elections. Dark money expenditures on American elections in 2006 was less than $5 million. In 2024 it is $1.9 billion.

The book goes into great detail how corrupt Jared Kushner is, leveraging his contacts in the Middle East and Russia for payment into his hedge fund. There is also a focus on how the current regime is destroying checks and balances in order for the oligarchs to make more money.

I particularly liked how the author compared the Guilded Age to current times. During the Guilded Age, Teddy Roosevelt worked on having guard rallies in place to curtail monopolies and oligarchs. Unfortunately, now the current regime is doing everything possible to destroy those guard rails. The book is disturbing and depressing.

[Chels · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have ever wondered, "How did America get this way?" this is the exact book to explain that in perfectly stated detail.

A lot of books about American politics are too dry, too dramatic, or just too opinion-based. This is not one of those books. The timeline of American oligarchies throughout its entirety gives you such a broad insight into the pieces that fell into place each step along the way through the history of this nation.

I have to say that the most fascinating part of this book is how much it revealed to me about Jared Kushner and where exactly he fit into that entire regime. I didn't understand the scope of his power by half. I'll be very interested to see what the response is going to be to this book from the Kushner/Trump camp once it's published.

This is joining The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory and Money, Lies, and God for my favorite books about 21st century American politics.

[Tahni · Rating 5 out of 5]

The danger oligarchy poses to democracy is massive, and the US is already well on its way to this form of government.

While not balanced, this audiobook was informative, well researched and exposes the lengths to which our country is run by the wealthy. Michel explains the history of oligarchy in the US, efforts that have effectively curtailed it in the past, and relations with relevant parties abroad. He also reveals the dealings of the most prominent oligarchs of 2025 and the threats they pose.

I especially appreciated that the author includes actionable steps to rid the wealthy of their political power once the current administration is out of office.

Joe Dwyer narrates with the serious, engaging tone that this text deserves. Audiobook production was excellent.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and author Casey Michel for this audiobook to honestly review. Publication date is August 4th, 2026.

[Jodi Gallegos · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s frustrating as a U.S. citizen to watch the wealth of a small group of people continue to grow exponentially while the rest of us struggle just to get by. I was very eager to read United States of Oligarchy to get a better awareness of how so few people have gained so much wealth. Author Casey Michel provides a detailed, engaging, and easy to follow account of history and legislation that have contributed to some of the greatest financial gains in the country. While I better understand how the social policies, culture, and laws of our country (as well as the influence of foreign entities) have created this wealth gap, I’m even more frustrated for those of us at the lower financial echelons.
As frustrating as the reality is, this book was very interesting and I enjoyed it.

[Beth M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

United States of Oligarchy is a fascinating and eye-opening look at oligarchy in America. It's easy to think of oligarchies and kleptocracies as problems that happen in other countries, but Casey Michel makes a compelling case that the United States has been moving in that direction for much longer than many of us realize. He walks readers through the history and the key decisions that helped get us here in a way that's informative without feeling overwhelming.

I highly recommend this book for every American, especially anyone interested in history, current events, or politics. It gave me a lot to think about long after I finished reading.

[Madison ✨ (mad.lyreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like I didn't learn THAT much from this book, fact-wise, but the analysis was what sold this to me. It's pretty obvious to basically everyone at this point, both on the left and right, that money has taken over politics in the US in the last decade plus, but I didn't realize just how bad it is. It's even worse than we thought! Also this book made me hate Elon even more. While I think this topic is agreed upon by people of diverse political beliefs, this book is written from a more leftist viewpoint, so conservatives beware!

The irony of me posting this review on Goodreads is not lost on me.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Mary Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

United States of Oligarchy is a comprehensive history of how oligarchs have been making decisions and affecting American politics since its very early beginnings. I'm not a history buff or into politics, so this book was a real eye-opener for me. It was very well-researched and felt very accessible and not overly pedantic. It's definitely a must read for those who are wondering how we got to where we are today. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

[Books Over People · Rating 4 out of 5]

This needs to be required reading for all people in the United States. Really, it should be required reading for all people in the world. Michel is clear-headed and well-researched. There is clearly an agenda, but it isn't actually political. I defy anyone to read this and still think that all these billionaires are heroes.

Thanks to Net Galley and Mr. Michel for the ARC.

4.5

[ReadThruTheNight · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eye-opening exploration of the forces that many argue are reshaping American democracy from within.

Whether you agree with every conclusion or not, it's a timely, thought-provoking read that raises urgent questions about wealth, power, and the future of democratic institutions.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, United States of Oligarchy, by Casey Michel, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Oligarchy by definition means governed by few. The book portrays that wealth giver you power and control of the US.

[Mandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredible read! well-executed. enjoyable & captivating writing.

review to come.

[Stephanie Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonfiction is not my jam but this was timely and frustrating. I wish more people understood what oligarchy is and how it functions and the impact it has on regular people

Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

United States if Oligarchy
By Casey Michel
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this wonderful and informative book. I have been so angry and deflated that this country, the U. S. of A., is losing our democracy. I wanted to know, in terms I could understand, how this could happen.
Thankfully, this book explained so much. It didn't make me happier, but at least now I knew the why. Next is how to stop it. The book explained some of this, also.
I hope everyone reads this book to prevent this from happening again. Recommend for everyone who wants to keep their country safe.