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Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
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Sales rank 1,020
Customers rating (based on 727 reviews)
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With new material from the author "Economic hit men," John Perkins writes," are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. Their tools include fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder. They play a game as old as Empire but one that has taken on terrifying dimensions during this time of globalization." John Perkins should know-he was an economic hit man for an international consulting firm that worked to convince developing countries to accept enormous loans and to funnel that money to U.S. corporations. Once these countries were saddled with huge debts, the American government and international aid agencies were able to request their "pound of flesh" in favors, including access to natural resources, military cooperation, and political support. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is the story of one man's experiences inside the intrigue, greed, corruption and little-known government and corporate activities that America has been involved in since World War II, and which have dire consequences for the future of democracy and the world.
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| Publisher | Plume | | Release date | 12/2005 | | Availability | Usually ships in 24 hours | | Edition | Paperback |
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 An Insider Tells All
As if we needed more evidence that the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, and United Nations are all instruments of subjugation, now an insider tells all. Throughout the 70's and 80's, this author schemed to bring third world nations into debt-slavery by convincing their leaders to take huge loans from the World Bank and IMF to fund massive, ill-conceived infrastructure programs. The credit always came with conditions designed to force open each nation's vulnerable fledgling markets to international competition before viable domestic producers could emerge. The international competition destroyed domestic employment, driving down internal revenues, and increasing social welfare expenses. Eventually the infrastructure projects could not be completed and resulted in no significant economic development. More importantly (to the World Bank and IMF), the victim nations defaulted on their loans, and had to come hat-in-hand to their creditors, who would only refinance after significant natural resources concessions. Essentially this is a story of how first-world banks rape third world nations. Before you go thinking first-world banks are somehow on "your side", consider how their mechanations endanger us all by impoverishing regions, causing destabilization, war, and terrorism. It is an utterly disgusting, immoral tale, and kudos to Perkins for telling it.
 Intruiging Title, Somewhat Disappointing Content
While there are some elements in the Perkins book that are authentic and accurate, the implied conspiracy theories and self-inflating descriptions should be taken with more than one grain of salt. As a read, the book is moderately entertaining for its first half, but it lapses into tiresome moralizing as it goes on, which is less interesting. Economic development has always been a mixed bag, with the bad getting most of the press. The author's views of the process from inside an organization that in the end proved itself to be inept feels out of balance with reality, as others who went about development under the notion that successful business is a necessary catalyst for social change would maintain.
 Worth A Read
I would certainly say that this book is worth a read. If nothing else it is an eye opener revealing truths about a corporate culture that most Americans like to pretend doesn't exist. The beginning of this book is fantastically written and told like a suspense novel that is quite the page turner. However I only give 4 stars because it does seem to become slow towards the end as if the author is stretching the book out into more that it should be.
Another reason I cannot give five stars is because the author repeatedly appears to be putting himself up on a pedestal as the one who did the right thing, when in reality he was one of the ones leading the charge and creating this culture. He is no better than the rest, and had more of a negative impact than many of the others.
Insightful and Interesting
I have found Confessions of an Economic Hit Man insightful and very interesting. All the more so since I live in the third world and know of some of the situations mentioned in the book. I believe this book is "must read" for all involved in international affairs especially those from the third world.
Enlightening and Shocking
This book is enlightening and shocking. It is an incredible account of the more sinister side of business and politics. And it reads like a novel. I highly recommend it.
I was a little disappointed, however, at the relatively superficial analysis of the causes of the human desire to expand an empire and take advantage of others. Therefore, the solutions he offers for how to address the problem of "corporatocracy" seem superficial and insufficient. I would love to read an updated version that offers better inspiration to change this sad side of humanity - if it is even possible.
Nevertheless - this one book offers an amazing education in "corporatocracy."
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