Power Corrupts

Does power corrupt? Absolutely. This is the podcast about the hidden—and often nefarious—forces that shape our world. Election rigging. Smuggling. Narcopolitics. Ransom. Conspiracy Theories. North Korean bank heists. Cults. Drug Lords. Voodoo. Money laundering. Assassinations. Unhinged conspiracy theories. Unbelievable stories. Stitched together with the help of world-leading experts. Created and narrated by Dr. Brian Klaas, a political scientist and columnist for The Washington Post. Join our exclusive Patreon community for uncut interviews, episodes early and much more: Patreon.com/powercorrupts

The Dark Side of AI 11/23/2021

The Dark Side of AI Artificial intelligence is the frontier of human innovation. But it has a dark side, too. In this episode, we explore how AI intersects with everything from criminology to creative writing -- and in the process, we see how biased algorithms have the power to do enormous harm in modern society. You can support our work here: And you can buy Brian’s book, Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, here (or wherever you buy books): Follow us on social media: Twitter - Instagram - /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/21251096

Space Wars 11/16/2021

Space Wars Is the next war going to happen in space? What are space weapons like, anyway? And why should we be worried about the space ventures of billionaires? In this episode, we look at the militarization of space, including everything from giant space mirrors to a new Chinese space weapon that flies right over the South Pole. You can support our work here: And you can buy Brian’s new book, Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, here (or wherever you buy books): Follow us on social media: Twitter - Instagram - /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/21143819

Loot 11/09/2021

Loot Is it a crime to steal back something that was once yours? That's the question we'll tackle this week, as we look at a string of sophisticated art heists aimed at reclaiming some stolen heritage objects. And we'll explore how Facebook is facilitating the illicit trafficking of stolen cultural objects, all out in the open. You can support our work here: And you can buy Brian’s new book, Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, here (or wherever you buy books): Follow us on social media: Twitter - Instagram - /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/21049859

Corruptible: Audiobook Excerpt 11/02/2021

Corruptible: Audiobook Excerpt This week's episode is an excerpt from the opening chapter of Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us. (If you pre-order the book or audiobook, you're eligible for a bonus episode of Power Corrupts that won't be released publicly). You can support our work here: And you can pre-order Brian’s new book, Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, here (or wherever you buy books): Follow us on social media: Twitter - Instagram - /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/20919080

Does Power Corrupt? 11/01/2021

Does Power Corrupt? The title of this podcast is Power Corrupts. But is that true? In this week's episode, host Brian Klaas has the microphone turned around on himself, as he's interviewed by Emma Nelson about his new book, Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us. You can support our work here: And you can pre-order Brian’s new book, Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, here (or wherever you buy books): Follow us on social media: Twitter - Instagram - /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/20918945

War Criminal or Victim? 10/26/2021

War Criminal or Victim? The International Criminal Court prosecutes perpetrators of horrific crimes. But what if the perpetrator is also a victim? That's the question we explore this week, with the disturbing tale of a child soldier who was kidnapped into a militia, but then rose the ranks to become a senior commander. After climbing the hierarchy, he began kidnapping more children and killing civilians. So, is he a victim, or is he a perpetrator? And is it possible to be both? You can support our work here: And you can pre-order Brian’s new book, Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, here (or wherever you buy books): Follow us on social media: Twitter - Instagram - /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/20891339

Walk the Plank 10/19/2021

Walk the Plank How do you capture a pirate after they’ve hijacked a ship? In today’s episode, we look at two ingenious sting operations that managed to lure some pirates across borders to their arrest. And in the process, we’ll see how clever law enforcement agencies get around the problem of tracking down criminals across international borders. You can support our work here: And you can pre-order Brian’s new book, Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, here (or wherever you buy books): Follow us on social media: Twitter - Instagram - /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/20757302

The Invisible Hook 10/12/2021

The Invisible Hook Pirates can teach us quite a lot about democracy and economics. What can Blackbeard teach us about signaling theory? Why were pirates racially progressive for their era? And is it possible that pirate ships were laboratories for experiments with constitutional democracy? In this episode, we speak to Professor Peter Leeson of George Mason University, and Dr. Rebecca Simon, an expert on pirate history. You can get Professor Peter's book, The Invisible Hook at You can support our work here: And you can pre-order Brian’s new book, Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, here (or wherever you buy books): Follow us on social media: Twitter - Instagram - /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/20752910

Golden Handcuffs 10/05/2021

Golden Handcuffs Can doing the wrong thing ever be the right policy? That’s a question we’ll tackle this week as we look at the possibility of letting some very bad people get away with their crimes…in order to prevent them from causing further damage. From drug kingpins to dictators, is it ever a good idea to just let them get away with it? This week’s episode features journalist Jaime Yaya Berry; human rights advocate Tutu Alicante; former Ambassador Charles Stith; and journalist Ioan Grillo. You can support our work here: And you can pre-order Brian’s new book, Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, here (or wherever you buy books): /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/20672372

Hitman for Hire 09/28/2021

Hitman for Hire What if you hacked a hitman-for-hire website and found out the identities of people who were slated to die before the murder? How much does it cost to hire a hitman on the Dark Web? And what if all of these supposed hitmen were just part of a giant, lucrative hoax? In this episode, we explore the stranger-than-fiction tale of hitmen services being sold on the darkest corners of the internet. Guests include Gian Volpicelli of Wired UK; Eileen Ormsby, a journalist and author; and Randy McAlister of the Cottage Grove, Minnesota police department. Support our work here: And buy Brian's new book, Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us here: /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/20519276

Fake IDs 09/21/2021

Fake IDs Could you fake your death and get away with it? In this episode, we look at fake identities, from people who've tried to fake their own deaths to an audacious wine fraudster who made millions as he sold new wine in old bottles. We speak to a private investigator who proves that people are, in fact alive, and a wine merchant who decided to act like an FBI agent in his quest to stake out a man who was making fake bottles of his wine. And in the process, we see glimpses of how identities are harder to forge in the 21st century. Guests in this episode: Steven Rambam, private investigator; Laurent Ponsot, master winemaker; Peter Hellman, author of In Vino Duplicitas; and two eminent historians, Helen Watt and Paul Dryburgh. Support our work here: And buy Brian's new book, Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us here: /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/20519192

Do Not Disturb 09/14/2021

Do Not Disturb Is going into exile safe any longer? A few years ago, a former Rwandan intelligence chief hiding out in exile was found strangled to death in a Johannesburg hotel room. Hanging on the door outside was a “Do Not Disturb” sign. It had been placed there to buy the assassins a bit of extra time as they fled the country. This episode looks at the alarming rise in transnational repression and cross-border killings, where dictators and despots hunt down their enemies no matter where they are in the world. In the process, we ask whether dissidents can ever be safe in the 21st century, or if it’s just a matter of time before their murderous authoritarian regime hunts them down. This episode features Michela Wrong, a phenomenal journalist and author of Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad, which you can and should buy here: It also features the voices of Isabel Linzer and Nate Schenkkan at Freedom House, and you can find their report on transnational repression here: And we speak to Geoffrey York, who has reported on Rwanda for years as the Africa Bureau Chief of the Globe & Mail. You can find his reporting here: Pre order Brian's book - Support the show on Patreon at /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/20283941

Click Here To Kill Everybody 09/07/2021

Click Here To Kill Everybody In early 2021, hackers infiltrated the software that controlled the city’s water supply in Oldsmar, Florida. Through dumb luck, they caught the intrusion shortly after the hacker tried to poison the city’s water. This hack was part of a growing array of attacks against the Internet of Things, objects that used to operate offline but are now connected to the internet—and therefore vulnerable to hacking. From Wi-Fi enabled tea kettles to cars that can be taken over remotely to knocking power out for entire countries using smart thermostats, the risks are everywhere. We’re just lucky there hasn’t been an Internet of Things attack that has been on the scale of 9/11 or Hiroshima – yet. Guests this episode include Bruce Schneier, the author of Click Here to Kill Everybody; Nicole Perlorth, a reporter for the New York Times, Ken Munro, an ethical hacker, and Chris Valasek, a hacker who remotely took over a Jeep a few years ago and now works as the Director of Product Security at Cruise. To check out Nicole’s book, click here: To buy Bruce’s book, click here: And to read about Chris’s Jeep Hack as reported in Wired, click here: Pre order Brian's book - Support the show on Patreon at /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/20281250

The Shell Game 08/31/2021

The Shell Game When it comes to understanding the underworld of corruption and criminality, you can’t just look at the rich crooks. You also have to look at the lawyers who help them dot the i’s and cross the t’s as they try to stash their illicit cash somewhere offshore. And to accomplish that goal, you have to understand the world of shell companies, corporate entities that often exist only on paper to shield vast sums of wealth from the taxman or the prying eyes of journalists. It’s a dangerous world, and it has led to the assassination of at least one journalist who tried to expose the secrets of the world’s super rich. In this episode, we speak to the two journalists who broke the Panama Papers – the largest leak of offshore documents in the history of illicit finance. They walk us through the world they uncovered at Mossack Fonseca, a law firm in Panama, that helped set up some of the world’s shadiest shell companies for some of the world’s shadiest people. Bastian Obermayer and Frederik Obermaier (who are not related) took immense personal risks to blow the story wide open. They tell us how they did it – and what secrets they uncovered about the ways the world’s richest people make up their own rules. For further information about the Panama Papers, go here: And for the Daphne Project, visit this site: Pre order Brian's book - Support the show on Patreon at /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/20280650

The Billion Dollar Shack 08/31/2021

The Billion Dollar Shack We all know that offshore areas of financial secrecy exist. In this episode, we’re going to take a look at the origin story of one of them. It’s a story that will make you question the caricature you probably have in your head about why shadowy offshore economies develop. And it’s a story that involves, quite improbably, seabirds that made people rich, a failed musical about Leonardo Da Vinci….and a shack worth a billion dollars. You may not have heard of it, but you can rest assured that terrorists, Russian mobsters, and rich oligarchs trying to set up their own banks know its name. This is a tale of greed, corruption, environmental destruction, and how – and why – the Davids of the globe can become Goliaths of illicit finance. This episode features interviews with Jack Hitt, an award-winning journalist; Selena Shannon, a former journalist and a senior producer at Audiocraft; and Lisa Hollander, a former actress who starred in a doomed musical about Leonardo Da Vinci’s love life, funded by seagull droppings on a little island in the Pacific that you’ve probably never heard of. To read Jack’s New York Times reporting about Nauru from 1999, click here. And for a review of the Leonardo Da Vinci musical published in 1993, go to this link: Pre order Brian's book - Support the show on Patreon at /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/20280230

Power Corrupts Season 3: Returning 31st August 2021 08/05/2021

Power Corrupts Season 3: Returning 31st August 2021 They say power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But when it comes to the underworld of corruption, murder, and greed, from drug cartels to hackers to political psychopaths, what you see is often just the tip of the iceberg. To understand how the world really works, you have to look at what's hidden below the surface. /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/20044409

Biological Weapons 04/09/2020

Biological Weapons Pandemics are horrifying. But what if one could be unleashed deliberately? How did ancient armies from the Greeks to the Mongol hordes use germ warfare? Why did America conduct tests on unsuspecting people in New York and San Francisco? Can biological weapons be developed to only infect a single person? And why is the US government researching how to use insects as taxis for viruses? Support the show on Patreon at /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/18957701

Revolutions 04/02/2020

Revolutions When revolutions happen, everything changes. In this episode, we'll look at why one revolution was launched when a rebel leader in southeast Asia started climbing trees; how Teddy Roosevelt's son led a CIA-backed coup in 1953 that contributed to the Iranian revolution; and why one East German guard had a bad day -- and forever changed history as a result. /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/13782965

Pandemics 03/26/2020

Pandemics Pandemics are as old as human civilisation, but there's a lot you probably don't know about them. Why did "dancing plagues" erupt repeatedly in Medieval Europe as a result of "hot blood"? Why is calling it the "Spanish Flu" an egregious historical injustice? And how do mathematical modellers incorporate Italian vs. American culture into their forecasting and predictions? /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/13639094

Catastrophic Miscalculation 03/19/2020

Catastrophic Miscalculation What if your mistakes could cause an empire to fall, a war to start, or thirty million people to starve to death? Whether it's Mao's campaign to murder sparrows leading to a deadly famine; or an emperor who really, really should have bought a cannon, such mistakes define our past, present, and future. Don't make the mistake of not listening. /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/13596080

Corruption in Plain Sight 03/12/2020

Corruption in Plain Sight Corruption is usually hidden. But sometimes, it’s out in the open. In this episode, we explore some unexpected hotspots of corruption and kleptocracy. How does a fugitive Malaysian playboy who allegedly stole billions still legally own a mansion in London? Why did a small town Massachusetts mayor try to accept big wads of dirty cash in a shed behind his house? /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/13468385

The Godfather of Fake News 03/05/2020

The Godfather of Fake News Christopher Blair has been called the Godfather of Fake News. He's an American troll. And whether you realized it or not, you've probably unknowingly read a fake news article that he's written. So we traveled to meet him, to understand how one man makes a living by deceiving gullible people on Facebook — and the effect that his trolling has on democracy. /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/13397987

The Unthinkable Olive Branch 02/27/2020

The Unthinkable Olive Branch When a dictatorship collapses, there's a big problem: everyone who knows how to run the government is someone who helped the dictator. Do we need Saddam Hussein's henchmen to keep the electricity on? We'll speak to Ambassador Paul Bremer, who ran Iraq from 2003-2004. And we'll talk to a torture victim who extended an unthinkable olive branch to those who ordered his torture. /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/13263428

How to be a Dictator 02/20/2020

How to be a Dictator If you're trying to consolidate power as a dictator, what's the best way to go about it? We'll speak to Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion who now plots his moves against Vladimir Putin. And we'll travel to Thailand to speak to a journalist who got kidnapped by a military junta in a surreal attempt to give him Stockholm Syndrome for his dictatorial captors. /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/13169558

Guns for Hire 02/13/2020

Guns for Hire Mercenaries are sometimes described as "the world's second oldest profession." But how do they operate today? Can mercenary armies topple dictatorships? Should we pay ex-special forces soldiers to do our dirty work? We'll answer those questions as we speak to Simon Mann, a founding member of Executive Outcomes and a mercenary mastermind of the botched Wonga Coup plot. /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/13086362

The Dark Art of Propaganda 02/06/2020

The Dark Art of Propaganda Propaganda has been around for thousands of years. But what separates the pros from the amateur propagandists? Why are North Korean radios made without dials? Who is Sister Potato? Why did American soldiers fight—and die—to steal phone books and undelivered mail for a propaganda radio station? And how does Iran shut down the internet? /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/13014005

Power Corrupts Season 2: Coming February 6th 2020 01/23/2020

Power Corrupts Season 2: Coming February 6th 2020 Come explore the dark side of power as we travel across the globe meeting the often unsavory characters who inhabit the hidden world of mercenaries, propaganda, biological weapons, information warfare and trolls, dirty money, psychopaths, corruption, dictators, and revolutions. Hosted by Dr. Brian Klaas, political scientist at University College London and weekly columnist for The Washington Post. /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/12831203

Children of Monsters 08/22/2019

Children of Monsters What’s it like to be the son or daughter of a dictator? Why did one dictator’s son go from a high-flying life playing football in Italy to being shorn like a sheep in the hands of rebels? Why did the cannibal emperor of Bangui murder a woman who claimed to be his long-lost daughter? And in the cutthroat world of politics, is nepotism necessary to survive? Series 2 out February 6th 2020. /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/10916169

The Anatomy of Evil 08/15/2019

The Anatomy of Evil In this episode, we explore the morality of a scientist who gave life to billions--but also facilitated the murder of millions; a psychiatrist who studied the brains of Nazi war criminals; a Rwandan who lost most of her family in the 1994 genocide; and hear from two experts on how authoritarian leaders can convince seemingly kind people to murder their neighbors. /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/10860737

The Greatest Heists You’ve Never Heard Of 08/08/2019

The Greatest Heists You’ve Never Heard Of When you think of heists, you probably think of masked men, bank robbers, and priceless art. But governments carry out heists, too. In this episode, we explore a billion dollar bank heist carried out by North Korean hackers; one carried out by a dictator who pledged to rule for a billion years; and a jewel heist that destroyed diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Thailand. /episode/index/show/powercorrupts/id/10814429

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