Merchants of Power
The History of Corporate Geopolitics
How businesses have shaped global affairs, from the Renaissance to the present.
Description
Corporations can outlive empires, accumulate more wealth than nations and project power with more persistence than armies. Kings and continents have bent to their will, and wars and coups have been launched at their command.
Yet despite this legacy, corporations have been largely overlooked as geopolitical players, and modern companies seem lost as they navigate a global order that closely resembles the imperial great power politics of the past. Colin Reed and Lewis Sage-Passant puncture this state-centric view, offering a holistic account that captures the many actors influencing the global system. From the diplomatic alliances of the Hanseatic League to the commercial intelligence networks of Venice; from the sprawling armies of the East India Companies to the Cold War coups of the United Fruit Company; and from the country-shaping monopolies of the Japanese Zaibatsu to the satellites of Starlink, corporations have routinely and profoundly shaped geopolitical history. As frontier technologies like artificial intelligence rapidly transform national industries and economies, the private companies spearheading innovation often wield more financial, political and even military clout on the world stage than states.
Merchants of Power asks vital questions about the role corporations play in today’s tumultuous world order.
Table of contents
I. Introduction
II. The Pre-history of Corporate Geopolitics – Renaissance Merchants and the Birth of Global Trade
III. Mercantile Empires – Early Corporations in the Age of Discovery
IV. Industrial Era Corporate Geopolitics
V. The Globalizing Era
VI. Corporate Geopolitics in the “End of History”
VII. Into “Unprecedented Times”: Historical Lessons for Modern Businesses
VIII. Conclusion
Author(s)
Colin Reed is Chief Intelligence Officer at Clock&Cloud. A former US intelligence analyst, his writing has appeared in the Financial Times and International Politics.
Lewis Sage-Passant PhD is Global Head of Intelligence at at a major pharmaceuticals company. Formerly a British Army intelligence officer, he is an adjunct professor at Sciences Po, Paris.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Merchants of Power" about?
Corporations can outlive empires, accumulate more wealth than nations and project power with more persistence than armies. Kings and continents have bent to their will, and wars and coups have been launched at their command.
Yet despite this legacy, corporations have been largely overlooked as geopolitical players, and modern companies seem lost as they navigate a global order that closely resembles the imperial great power politics of the past. Colin Reed and Lewis Sage-Passant puncture this state-centric view, offering a holistic account that captures the many actors influencing the global system. From the diplomatic alliances of the Hanseatic League to the commercial intelligence networks of Venice; from the sprawling armies of the East India Companies to the Cold War coups of the United Fruit Company; and from the country-shaping monopolies of the Japanese Zaibatsu to the satellites of Starlink, corporations have routinely and profoundly shaped geopolitical history. As frontier technologies like artificial intelligence rapidly transform national industries and economies, the private companies spearheading innovation often wield more financial, political and even military clout on the world stage than states.
Merchants of Power asks vital questions about the role corporations play in today’s tumultuous world order.
Who wrote "Merchants of Power"?
"Merchants of Power" was written by Colin Reed and Lewis Sage-Passant.
Colin Reed is Chief Intelligence Officer at Clock&Cloud. A former US intelligence analyst, his writing has appeared in the Financial Times and International Politics.
Lewis Sage-Passant PhD is Global Head of Intelligence at at a major pharmaceuticals company. Formerly a British Army intelligence officer, he is an adjunct professor at Sciences Po, Paris.
What is the Table of Contents for "Merchants of Power"?
I. Introduction
II. The Pre-history of Corporate Geopolitics - Renaissance Merchants and the Birth of Global Trade
III. Mercantile Empires - Early Corporations in the Age of Discovery
IV. Industrial Era Corporate Geopolitics
V. The Globalizing Era
VI. Corporate Geopolitics in the “End of History”
VII. Into “Unprecedented Times”: Historical Lessons for Modern Businesses
VIII. Conclusion
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