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Title: Dictators Without Borders
Subtitle: Power and Money in Central Asia
Author: Alexander A. Cooley, John Heathershaw
Narrator: Jonathan Yen
Format: Unabridged
Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
Language: English
Release date: 03-21-17
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 5 votes
Genres: Nonfiction, Economics

Publisher's Summary:
Weak, corrupt, and politically unstable, the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are dismissed as isolated and irrelevant to the outside world. But are they? This hard-hitting book argues that Central Asia is in reality a globalization leader with more extensive involvement in economics, politics, and security dynamics beyond its borders than any other world region. Yet Central Asia's international activities are mostly hidden from view, with disturbing implications for world security.
Based on years of research and involvement in the region, Alexander Cooley and John Heathershaw reveal how business networks, elite bank accounts, overseas courts, third-party brokers, and Western lawyers connect Central Asia's supposedly isolated leaders with global power centers. The authors also uncover widespread Western participation in money laundering, bribery, foreign lobbying by autocratic governments, and the exploiting of legal loopholes within Central Asia. Riveting and important, this book exposes the global connections of a troubled region that must no longer be ignored.

Critic Reviews:
"Insightful and topical - a comprehensive take on a neglected region." (Edward Lucas, senior editor, The Economist))

Members Reviews:
Fascinating book about power and corruption.
After reading this book, I am not sure who is worse. The dictators and cronies of these Central Asian countries, or those in the Western countries, who are more than willing to help them get rich as they become more despotic? Cooley notes that in these Central Asian countries, Crony Capitalism is the only game in town. As the regimes get more powerful, it seems that the businesses in these countries must try to get more politically connected in order to survive. We see this to a certain extent in the United States as well. No wonder so many young people in the West are becoming disenchanted with capitalism. Another great book about this subject is titled "Crapitalism".
I also found it very interesting how these regimes abuse Interpol and the Red Notice system in order to punish their political opponents. A couple weeks ago, when Kim Jong Un had his half-brother killed in Malaysia it seemed to dominate the headlines for a week. That kind of thing is par for the course in Central Asia and we never hear about it! I found the stories about exiled political opponents fascinating and also a little depressing. Some of these opposition groups might be the only hope of moderating these countries, had they not been hunted down and often killed. The story of Ablyazov of Kazakhstan reminded me of Andy Dufresne in the Shawshank Redemption.