How do you defend democracy when the rules have changed?

Presidents turning into monarchs. Tech tycoons and autocrats intent on global regime change. Armies of cyber trolls.

The old order is at an end. The Hour of the Predator has come.

Former political advisor Giuliano da Empoli takes us on an insider's journey through this new geopolitical reality, from the Glass Palace of the UN to the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton, from top secret meetings to violent power struggles. We encounter dictators and tyrants, strongmen and AI billionaires - geopolitical predators, and the flailing leaders who desperately try to appease them.

Just as in the age of the Borgias or the conquistadors, cynical scheming and brute force increasingly determine the course of international affairs. This is an urgent guide to our new world, and our uncertain future.