HN Books @HNBooksMonth

The best books of Hacker News.

Hacker News Comments on
Dictators Without Borders: Power and Money in Central Asia

Alexander A. Cooley Ph.D., John Heathershaw · 1 HN comments
HN Books has aggregated all Hacker News stories and comments that mention "Dictators Without Borders: Power and Money in Central Asia" by Alexander A. Cooley Ph.D., John Heathershaw.
View on Amazon [↗]
HN Books may receive an affiliate commission when you make purchases on sites after clicking through links on this page.
Amazon Summary
A penetrating look into the unrecognized and unregulated links between autocratic regimes in Central Asia and centers of power and wealth throughout the West 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 extensive involvement in economics, politics and security dynamics beyond its borders. 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.
HN Books Rankings

Hacker News Stories and Comments

All the comments and stories posted to Hacker News that reference this book.
This book argues actually its western countries like UK, US, and FR that benefit as rulers buy London, Paris or NYC flats in the names of offshore companies.

https://www.amazon.com/Dictators-Without-Borders-Power-Centr...

Personally I think the correct response is to tax things rich people like in those countries. Specifically housing, high end cars etc.

Putting beneficial owners on real estate makes total sense.

nly
This is changing. UK law will soon require property bought through companies to reveal the names and details of significant shareholders.
andrewnicolalde
Just bought the book, thanks for the suggestion!
joe_the_user
The book looks interesting but I'm not a fan on the spin you're apparently putting on it.

The London real estate market and maybe real estate dealers perhaps benefit. Most citizens of UK don't benefit from parts of London being actually empty for purposes of investment.

The recycling of third world dollars back to the West has been ongoing since the "patrodollars" of the 1970s. Those who get a piece of those dollars benefit, the average citizen Western nations haven't benefited from the tremendous economic imbalance this has created.

pseudalopex
I think they agree with you. Beneficial ownership is a legal term. Putting beneficial owners on real estate means not letting buyers hide their identities with shell companies.
HN Books is an independent project and is not operated by Y Combinator or Amazon.com.
~ yaj@
;laksdfhjdhksalkfj more things
yahnd.com ~ Privacy Policy ~
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.