The men and women who created today's liberal, democratic, globalised world order may now have left public office, but they have not retired. So, what are they doing, and how does it affect the rest of us?
In The Ex Men, Giles Edwards sets out to answer that question, uncovering the many ways in which former Presidents and Prime Ministers continue to affect global public life.
From running international organisations to monitoring elections, advising companies and charities and giving hundred-thousand-pound speeches, Giles takes us inside this often-hidden world. He has interviewed more than twenty former leaders - from Presidents overthrown in coups to Nobel laureates. He has spent time at their clubs and resorts and spoken to the people who work with them and the organisations and individuals who hire them.
But how much do they really achieve? And does all this frantic activity amount to anything more than money-making or legacy-burnishing?