Political Corruption

Billions of dollars stolen from citizens are circling the globe, enriching powerful individuals, altering political outcomes, and disadvantaging everyday people. News headlines provide glimpses of how this corruption works and why it matters: President Trump's businesses struck deals with oligarchs and sold property to secretive shell companies; the Panama Papers leak triggered investigations in 79 countries; and corruption scandals toppled heads of state in Brazil, South Africa, and South Korea. But how do these pieces fit together?

When former detective Trevor “Finn” Finnegan became a PI, he adopted a new mandate: catch the LAPD’s worst in the act. While on surveillance in Venice Beach, Finn tails two potentially dirty cops: Detective Martin Riley and Finn’s ex-partner, Detective Sally Munoz. Things take a deadly turn when an unknown assailant executes Riley and wounds Munoz. In an instant, Finn goes from private eye to eyewitness. Munoz needs Finn to help find Riley’s killer, but doing so could blow his cover.

Many critiques of the Trump era contrast it with the latter half of the 20th century, when the United States seemed governed more by statesmen than by special interests. Without denying the extraordinary vigor of President Trump's assault on traditional ethical and legal norms, Jonathan Marshall challenges the myth of a golden age of American democracy. Drawing on a host of original archival sources, he tells the shocking story of how well-protected criminals systematically organized the corruption of American national politics after World War II.

If you reckon corruption in South Africa began with Zuma or even with apartheid, it’s time to catch a wake-up call. Rogues’ Gallery tells the story of some of the biggest skelms to grace our (un)fair shores, showing that dodgy dealings have been a national pastime for as long as South African history has been written down.

I meticulously outline the appalling extent to which the powerful few work behind the scenes to shamelessly plunder the resources of Nigeria. Up to eight billion dollars is lost annually to corruption, and no politician goes unexamined in this piercing review. From jungle justice to the corrupt kleptocracy that defines Nigeria’s ruling class today, I clearly give historical context to a modern but untenable problem. This important record speaks truth to power and documents the crushing consequences of political gaming.

As Alabama’s governor, our economy improved; our strides in education gained national attention; I rallied voters, expanded my base and held the line against Republican dominance. As Southern Democratic Governors Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter before me, I was ready to jump into the race for president. I just needed to win reelection in 2002 to launch my challenge to George W. Bush in 2004. That’s when forces of the Bush White House swarmed into Alabama and, in that instant, Alabama become a brutal political battleground.