Who are the rich and powerful people in Russia, China, Middle East, and Central Asia? How do these “Eurasian elites” live? What enables them to accumulate so much wealth and influence, and what kinds of business and pleasure do they pursue in global arenas?

Unlike many courses that study governments, this course focuses on the privileged classes of Russia, China, and the Muslim-majority world. Looking at what the most influential and resourced people are doing offers closer views of what is going on in these societies. It also reveals what an interconnected world we live in, because many interesting financial and cultural connections are happening at the personal level across the world. Eurasian elites constantly travel, vacation, shop, and invest globally. We follow these people from their business bases in Moscow, Tashkent, or Shanghai, to penthouses in London, yachts in Malta, shell companies in the British Virgin Islands, shopping sprees in Paris, students at Harvard, bank accounts in Cyprus, vacations in Turkey, museum fundraisers in New York, sports teams they own in England, etc.