Kleptopia: How Dirty Money Is Conquering the World

Tom Burgis investigates global kleptocracy—the systematic theft of public wealth by those in power—and traces how stolen money corrupts governments and democracies worldwide. Through interconnected narratives, Burgis follows four central figures: a man from Basingstoke who discovers secrets held by a Swiss bank, an ex-Soviet billionaire building a private empire, a Canadian lawyer representing a mysterious client, and a Brooklyn criminal with CIA protection. He documents how these actors and their networks operate across borders, from the Kremlin to Beijing, Harare to Riyadh, and into Western financial centers. The book reveals how kleptocrats have accumulated wealth exceeding that of most nations, using financial systems and secrecy to consolidate political power. Burgis argues that these networks are increasingly coordinated, with consequences for democratic institutions and human welfare. The work draws on investigative reporting to expose the mechanisms by which dirty money flows through the global economy and enables authoritarian rule.