Rex tillerson, presidentelect donald trumps nomination for secretary of state. In many of the countries where it conducts business, exxonmobils sway over politics and security is greater than that of the united. Steve colls narrative spans the globe, taking readers to moscow, impoverished african. Private empire, steve colls book on exxon mobil the. Weighing in at more than 700 pages, it is wordy too. It chronicles how exxonmobil the energy behemoth that recently displaced walmart atop the fortune 500 list. May 2, 2012 in private empire, investigative journalist steve coll explains how exxonmobil has used its money and power to wield significant influence in. Colls indepth reporting, buttressed by his anecdotal prose, make private empire a mustread. The book examines the business practices and culture of u. Private empire exxonmobil and american power by steve coll the penguin press. Exxonmobil and american power is a 2012 work of investigative journalism by american reporter steve coll. In this, the first hardhitting examination of exxonmobilthe largest and most. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by. And in this way, private empire is a deeply unsettling book.
This is a long book about an oil company with remarkably little unspilled oil in it. If corporations are people, as some would have you. Exxonmobil and american power is a masterful study of big oils biggest player. Steve coll to duke for a talk on the world according to exxonmobil. Private empire is surprising book about the history of exxonmobil, americas largest company. Exxonmobil and american power book online at best prices in india on. Yet private empire is not so much an indictment as a fascinating look into american business and politics. Private empire is a big book about big oil, big money and big government. Steve coll on the private empire of exxonmobil youtube. Private empire helps explain the power of exxonmobil in shaping us policy around the world. Author steve coll unearths the companys secrets in private empire, tracking the corporations role on the world stage from the exxon valdez. Private empire begins with the exxon valdez accident in 1989 and closes with the deepwater horizon oil spill in the gulf of mexico in 2010. Yet intense secrecy has kept one of the worlds largest companies a mystery, until now.
Winner of the financial times and goldman sachs business book of. Private empire, steve colls book about exxon mobil. Steve colls private empire david biello is associate editor for environment and energy at scientific american magazine. Theres a startling scene early in steve colls private empire in which lee raymond, then the chief executive of exxonmobil, speaks with offhanded candor about where his loyalties lie. The first ornament up on the tree was steve colls private empire.
A private empire on the world stage in private empire, investigative journalist steve coll explains how exxonmobil has used its money and power to. In private empire steve coll investigates the largest and most powe. The key figure in the book is lee iron ass raymond, chief executive until 2005. It chronicles how exxonmobil the energy behemoth that recently displaced walmart atop the fortune 500 list, with. Exxonmobil and american power is the pulitzer prizewinning authors indepth look at what he calls a corporate state within the american state. Coll carried out more than 450 interviews in the course of writing private empire, but he notes that exxonmobil refused several approaches, including requests for a meeting with tillerson, and. Yet despite its outsized influence, it is a black box. Private empire pulls back the curtain, tracking the corporations recent history and its. Private empire is a book meticulously prepared as if for trial. In washington, exxonmobil spends more money lobbying congress and the white house than any other corporation.
Exxonmobils annual revenues are larger than the economic activity in the great majority of countries. Exxonmobil has cut a ruthless path through the age of oil. He is the author of seven other books, including on the grand trunk road, the bin ladens, private empire, and directorate s. Consider private empire a sequel of sorts to the prize, daniel yergins pulitzerwinning history of the oil industry. Exxonmobil increasingly drills in terrains leased to them by dictatorships, such as those in chad and equatorial guinea. Exxonmobil and american power by steve coll in doc, epub, rtf download e book. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Private empire pulls back the curtain, tracking the corporations recent history and its central role on the world stage, beginning with the exxon valdez accident in 1989 and leading to the deepwater horizon oil spill in the gulf of mexico in 2010. Exxonmobil and american power, published by the penguin press, which took home the financial times and goldman sachs business book of the year earlier this month. This results in a book with no momentum and not much glue. Exxonmobil and american power is a masterful study of big oils biggest player colls indepth reporting, buttressed by his anecdotal prose, make private empire a mustread. Exxonmobil is a private empire, its annual revenues exceeding the gross domestic product gdp of many nations. The action spans the globefeaturing kidnapping cases, civil wars, and highstakes struggles. A private empire on the world stage in private empire, investigative journalist steve coll explains how exxonmobil has used its money and power to wield significant influence in. As much as coll seeks to bring to light all that exxonmobil needs to answer forand this is a considerably necessary servicethe. Exxonmobil and american power, a book i wrote about the corporation that came out in 2012. The financial and political muscle of americas biggest oil company is laid bare in this thorough and finely written book, says iain morris. Private empire is a surprising book about the history of exxonmobil, americas largest company.
The cover of private empire, steve colls new book about the exxon mobil corporation, is a forbidding black slab. Consider private empire a sequel of sorts to the prize, daniel yergins pulitzerwinning history of the oil industry colls portrait of exxonmobil is. Consider private empire a sequel of sorts to the prize, daniel. Private empire, steve colls book about exxon mobil the new. The publisher has supplied this book in drm free form with digital.
Exxonmobil private empire corporations and international law. Steve coll on exxonmobils sinister kingdom and private. A friend of dick cheney, raymond is also a fierce climate. The narrative spans the globe, taking readers to moscow, impoverished african capitals, indonesia, and. Luce professor of journalism at columbia universitys journalism school, staff writer at the new yorker, and the author of the book private empire. Exxonmobil s annual revenues are larger than the economic activity in the great majority of countries. Exxonmobil and american power, says that he thinks that exxonmobil is able to determine american foreign policy and the fate of entire nations. Steve colls narrative spans the globe, taking readers to moscow, impoverished african capitals, indonesia and elsewhere as exxonmobil carries out its activities against a backdrop of blackmail threats, kidnapping, civil wars, and highstakes struggles at the kremlin. Access a free summary of private empire, by steve coll and 20,000 other business, leadership and nonfiction books on getabstract. Not only did exxon come off as less evil than commonly portrayed, but the oil company seemed to be significantly less powerful than i had anticipated.
Steve colls mammoth portrait of exxon mobil, private empire, abounds in empire size figures. In private empire steve coll investigates the largest and most powerful private corporation in the united states, revealing the true extent of its power. A penetrating, newsbreaking study, private empire is a defining portrait of big oil in american politics and foreign policy. Consider private empire a sequel of sorts to the prize, daniel yergins pulitzerwinning history of the oil industry colls portrait of. Exxonmobil and american power, steve coll details the corporate dominance of exxonexxonmobil over the past 20plus years. If exxonmobil refused to answer every one of the authors factchecking questions, the book remains authoritative, lively and seldom dull. With each chapter as forceful as a new yorker article, the book abounds in. Private empire is a book meticulously prepared as if for trial, a lawyerly accumulation of information that lets the facts speak for themselves a compelling and. Steve coll examines the worldwide operations and political influence of exxon mobil.
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