'Pertinent!' Margaret Atwood 'Illuminating . . . reveals why some people and systems are more
likely to be corrupted by power than others' Adam Grant 'Passionate insightful and
occasionally jaw-dropping . . . Corruptible sets out the story of the intoxicating lure of
power-and how it has shaped the modern world' Peter Frankopan 'A brilliant exploration' Dan
Snow 'Klaas is the rarest of finds: a political scientist who can also tell great stories. He
mixes memorable anecdotes with stern analysis to tackle one of the biggest questions of all: do
we have to be ruled by bad people?' - Peter Pomerantsev Does power corrupt or are corrupt
people drawn to power? Are tyrants the products of bad systems or are they just bad people? And
why do we give power to awful people? In Corruptible professor of global politics Brian Klaas
draws on over 500 interviews with some of the world's top leaders - from the noblest to the
dirtiest - including presidents war criminals cult leaders terrorists psychopaths and
dictators to reveal the most surprising workings of power: how children can predict who is
going to win an election based just on the faces of politicians why narcissists make more
money what makes a certain species of bee more corrupt than others whether a thirst for power
is a genetic condition and why being the second in command is in fact the smartest choice.
From scans of psychopathic brains to the effects of power on monkey drug use Klaas weaves
cutting-edge research with astonishing encounters (including a ski lesson with the former
viceroy of Iraq tea with a former UK prime minister and breakfast with Madagascar's yogurt
kingpin president). Written by the creator of the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast
Corruptible challenges our basic assumptions about power from the board room to the war room
and provides a roadmap for getting better leaders at every level.
