Supercitizens and Semistates

The global elites that really run the world.

BY DAVID ROTHKOPF | MARCH/APRIL 2012

The world is run today by what I call supercitizens -- super-empowered global elites that straddle borders, move markets, and make or break politicians. What makes a supercitizen different from you and me? With apologies to Mitt Romney, they're not actually people; they're entities designed much like comic book superheroes to have remarkable powers. To begin with, they're immortal (having the ability to survive the demise of their owners was one reason companies were first created). They operate globally, their scant national ties affording them great flexibility, mobility, and leverage. And of course, they're made super by virtue of their size: Their resources and influence vastly outstrip those of individual citizens and often entire countries.

In other words, the world's corporate behemoths really do enjoy powers greater than all but the biggest countries. There are plenty of critics who love to poke holes in flawed comparisons such as those between national GDPs and corporate annual sales, but no matter: There's a wealth of evidence to show just how vast their reach is. Here are just a few examples.

 

How the top companies on Forbes magazine's Global 2000 list stack up against some of the world's countries.

JPMorgan Chase
» $2.3 trillion: assets of JPMorgan Chase
» $812 billion: reserves of foreign exchange and gold held by the European Union

 

HBSC
» Has around 7,500 offices in 87 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America, more than the number of Austrian embassies (83).
» Has 300,000 employees around the world, more than Germany's number of active military troops (250,000).

 

General Electric
» Spent $26 million lobbying the U.S. government in 2011, more than Anguilla's budget expenditures ($23 million).

» Has 287,000 employees, more than Croatia's number of government employees (278,000).

 

ExxonMobil
» Produces 2.4 million barrels a day of crude oil and natural gas liquids, more than the 2.2 million barrels produced in the European Union.

 

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David Rothkopf, CEO and editor at large of Foreign Policy, is author of Power, Inc.: The Epic Rivalry Between Big Business and Government -- and the Reckoning That Lies Ahead.