A Kleptocrats Paradise: A System for the Corrupt by the Corrupt and Not for the People

Author: Jeremy Baker-Paquette

Field of Study: History

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Matthew Cole

Easel: 91

Timeslot: Morning

Abstract: The rise of wealth defense networks after the fall of the Soviet Union created new systems of theft, allowing oligarchs to capture and infiltrate state institutions, turning them into their own sources of plunder. This study seeks to understand the inner workings of a captured economy within a kleptocratic state, looking at how systematic corruption suppresses opposition and creates compliance amongst the population. It will also look into how kleptocrats weaponize corruption for political gain both at home and abroad, allowing kleptocrats to embed themselves within the western elite and undermine the rule of law. This study will use a cross-sectional approach wherein we look at authoritarian oligarchies across the world. This study hopes to elucidate kleptocracy, as a tool of authoritarian oligarchies to oppress the population, and understand how global kleptocracy helps authoritarians undermine the rule of law.