Superclass
by David Rothkopf Little, Brown, HK$187
Inherited lifelong power is a thing of the past. This is the contention of David Rothkopf in his persuasive book about a group he calls the superclass. This rarefied elite, he says, includes heads of state, CEOs of the world's largest companies, media magnates, technology entrepreneurs and oil potentates. Not so obviously, the group also includes artists, terrorist leaders, master criminals and authors. Rothkopf put together a list of 6,000 members of the superclass who, among other things, run governments, move financial markets and mould opinion. Wisely he does not offer readers a look at all the names because, he points out, 'The day after it was published, it would be obsolete.' PCCW's Richard Li Tzar-kai is put forward as a member of a future superclass, which will include, Rothkopf writes, an increasing number of Chinese business superstars. The author, a former deputy undersecretary of commerce serving US president Bill Clinton, offers tips for aspiring members of the superclass. They include: be born male (only 6 per cent of the group is female), attend an elite school and be rich and lucky.
