Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power by Steve Coll is being released today. Coll is the author of Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001, which won a Pulitzer Prize. Private Empire promises a look inside what may be the most powerful corporation on the planet.
Coll will be discussing the book in Los Angeles at the Petersen Automotive Museum (6060 Wilshire Boulevard) at 7:30 p.m. on May 10, thanks to Zócalo. (The talk is free, but reservations are requested.)
For a sense of what to expect (from the book and the talk), here's part of the Zócalo description:
Put aside that the annual revenues of ExxonMobil exceed the GDP of Norway. It only overstates the power of Norway. In fact, in many oil-rich nations, ExxonMobil exercises more sway over day-to-day policy and economics than the United States government. It also spends more on lobbying in Washington than almost any other company. In short, ExxonMobil has a huge influence on the United States and the world. And yet we know almost nothing about it. What goes on inside the black box?
Dwight Garner reviewed Private Empire in the New York Times last Thursday.