Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

Front Cover
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2004 - Political Science - 250 pages
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.

John Perkins should know he was an economic hit man. His job was to convince countries that are strategically important to the U. S. from Indonesia to Panama to accept enormous loans for infrastructure development, and to make sure that the lucrative projects were contracted to U. S. corporations. Saddled with huge debts, these countries came under the control of the United States government, World Bank and other U. S. -dominated aid agencies that acted like loan sharks dictating repayment terms and bullying foreign governments into submission.

This New York Times bestseller exposes international intrigue, corruption, and little-known government and corporate activities that have dire consequences for American democracy and the world. It is a compelling story that also offers hope and a vision for realizing the American dream of a just and compassionate world that will bring us greater security.

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.

John Perkins should know he was an economic hit man. His job was to convince countries that are strategically important to the U. S. from Indonesia to Panama to accept enormous loans for infrastructure development, and to make sure that the lucrative projects were contracted to U. S. corporations. Saddled with huge debts, these countries came under the control of the United States government, World Bank and other U. S. -dominated aid agencies that acted like loan sharks dictating repayment terms and bullying foreign governments into submission.

This New York Times bestseller exposes international intrigue, corruption, and little-known government and corporate activities that have dire consequences for American democracy and the world. It is a compelling story that also offers hope and a vision for realizing the American dream of a just and compassionate world that will bring us greater security.

About the author (2004)

John Perkins began writing Confessions of an Economic Hit Man several times during the past two decades only to be persuaded to stop by lucrative business offers contingent upon his silence. "Now," he says, "we have entered the new millennium. Nine-eleven happened.

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