Superclass: The Global Power Elite And The Worl... May 2026

Networks—built at exclusive gatherings like the World Economic Forum in Davos—act as "force multipliers" for individual influence.

Rothkopf applies the 80/20 rule to power, illustrating how a tiny fraction of the global population controls the vast majority of its wealth and decision-making capacity. The Impact on Global Stability

Members often have more in common with their global peers than with their own countrymen, shifting their primary allegiance away from the nation-state. Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the Worl...

Rothkopf argues that while this elite drives globalization and international cooperation, their pursuit of self-interest has exacerbated global inequality.

Power has moved faster than the institutions meant to regulate it. This "gap" allows the superclass to operate in a vacuum where national laws are often circumvented. Rothkopf argues that while this elite drives globalization

Heads of state, top military commanders, and influential policymakers.

CEOs of transnational corporations and leaders of financial powerhouses. Heads of state, top military commanders, and influential

Media moguls, religious leaders, cultural icons, and even high-level criminal masterminds.