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

A staggering examination of how America's wealthiest infiltrated the government and allied with dictators, transforming the U.S. from democracy to oligarchy.

For years, a small group of billionaires has amassed increasing power, steering American politics for their own benefit. Many of these figures are familiar. There's Elon Musk, who has used his wealth to help place Donald Trump back in the White House. There's Mark Zuckerberg, who has used his resources to transform America into his own digital playground. There's Jared Kushner, who has used family connections to gain more political power than he ever dreamed of.

There is only one word to describe such extreme levels of wealth, avarice, and political control: Oligarchy. But the oligarchs are not working alone. From China to Russia to Saudi Arabia and beyond, many of these men have cultivated alliances with America's most notorious adversaries, opening the doors for autocrats around the world to sink their teeth into the U.S. Placing profit over patriotism, they have transformed into vectors of influence for some of the world's most repulsive dictatorships, all of whom are trying to create a world dominated by imperialism and tyranny. Connecting everything from the devastation in Ukraine to destruction in Gaza to destabilization in Greenland, these oligarchs have transformed American policy and American politics into their own private fiefdoms, regardless of what Americans actually want.

In United States of Oligarchy, Casey Michel illuminates a story decades in the making, from the earliest efforts to corral and combat American oligarchs, to the new crop of individuals monopolizing American democracy and making the world safe for dictatorship - all for their own benefit.

The oligarchs have risen, and are attempting to reign. The only question remaining is whether or not it's too late to stop them.

Author: Casey Michel
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 08/04/2026
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.28lbs
Size: 9.48h x 6.49w x 1.23d
ISBN: 9781250430113


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 08/10/2026

About the Author

CASEY MICHEL is one of the US's leading journalists and authors covering the world of dark money and international corruption. He is the author of American Kleptocracy, named by The Economist as one of the "best books to read to understand financial crime," and Foreign Agents, which received starred reviews from both Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly and was described by Foreign Policy Magazine as one of the "biggest foreign-policy book releases of 2024."

He writes regularly on offshoring, foreign lobbying, authoritarianism, and illicit wealth for outlets like The New York Times, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and Foreign Affairs, among other outlets, and he has appeared on NPR, BBC, and CNN, among other stations. He has also testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the links between illicit financial networks and national security. He received his master's degree in Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies from Columbia University's Harriman Institute, and he is currently sanctioned by the Russian regime for his work. United States of Oligarchy is his third book.