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

The world feels like it’s falling apart, and a lot of that comes down to the obscenely wealthy minority who are amassing ever more power and heavily influencing governments to do their bidding. Oligarchy has taken hold in the United States, and it’s imperative that we understand what we’re up against. Today Casey Michel releases his timely book, United States of Oligarchy: How America’s Wealthiest Ally with Dictators, Weaken the U.S., and Destroy Democracy. This is a must-read for Americans. It may leave you feeling angry, stressed, and kind of hopeless, but it’s a thorough account of what’s going on and what it will take to turn this country around.

What I Liked:

• Wealth inequality and what makes an oligarch. This book begins with the meaning of “oligarchy” and how “the rule of the few” is too broad. More accurately, it’s the rule of a handful of extremely wealthy people. Today, the wealth gap is the largest it’s ever been, even larger than in the time of people like John D. Rockefeller and the Gilded Age. The top 1% are far richer, even accounting for inflation; the 99% are poorer in terms of quality of life. And while people struggle to make ends meet, the wealthiest individuals allow unquenchable greed and hunger for power to squeeze out even more money for themselves at the expense of everyone else.
• Examples of oligarchy in the United States’ past. From oligarchs’ takeover of Hawaii to President Roosevelt’s mission to limit the wealth and power reaching the richest people, this country has had many ups and downs along the way. We have a history of oligarchic tendencies, but we’ve also always had checks and balances to keep things running as they should… at least until the late 20th century. Then things started to crumble.
• Disastrous changes. Reagan made some significant changes to how the wealthy are taxed. But perhaps the biggest and most devastating blow was the 2010 Citizens United ruling that allowed unlimited donations to politicians’ campaigns. These and other policy changes have had enormous effects on wealth accumulation, who politicians serve, and who gets elected to office.
• Some of the worst of today’s oligarchs. United States of Oligarchy spends the rest of the book giving accounts of some of the worst offenders in our oligarchic state. People like Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Jared Kushner, and Elon Musk have accumulated tons of money, cozied up with dictators around the world, and influenced the Trump administration. With ties to China and Saudi Arabia; with sights set on Greenland; with visions of a post-countries world… is there no bar that’s too low for these people? Is no amount of wealth and power enough? And where will this leave the rest of us?

What Didn’t Work for Me:

• But is there any solution? Are we too far gone to save ourselves? I only wish this book offered more of a concrete path forward. Instead, it’s just what can be done once we have a new, more ethical president… but until then? If that day ever comes? I’m not sure.

Audiobook:

Joe Dwyer narrates United States of Oligarchy. He has an even narration, bordering on monotone. I initially disliked his narration, but I got used to it as the book progressed. I would have preferred a bit more energy though, especially since so much of the information in this book is quite dense. It’s not an easy read or listen, but more energized narration would have improved my focus and comprehension.

Final Thoughts

United States of Oligarchy is a thorough and eye-opening analysis of oligarchs in the United States, the policies that enable them, and the choices we must make to undo all of these wrongs. It’s not a light read, but it is hugely informative about current trends in the United States and beyond.

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy United States of Oligarchy here – it’s available as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

United States of Oligarchy by Casey Michel
Audiobook Narrator	Joe Dwyer
Audience	Adult
Genre	Nonfiction: Politics & Social Issues
Number of Pages	384
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	August 4, 2026
Publisher	St. Martin’s Press

Official Summary

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.