Review: Confessions Of An Economic Hit Man by John Perkins

I think every American would benefit from reading Confessions Of An Economic Hit Man by John Perkins. I thought this would be quite dry but from the start I was surprised at the readability. The style is engrossing and the chapters are short so can be read when you have a spare 15 minutes or so, bit by bit.

Perkins was a guy who was an economic forecaster to developing nations. He was paid to deliver inflated estimates of the potential growth of a country's or region's infrastructure and economy. These reports justified huge loans by the World Bank and US government; loans that could never be paid off and would mean that the country in question would be in debt. In return, we would control that country's resources and, for their compliance, would ensure that the corrupt leadership of that country remained in power and kept reaping material gains at the expense of their impoverished population.

The book shows how the old concept of imperialism has evolved into a more subtle version of global domination through what he terms "corporatocracy". I won't go into any more detail because I want you all to read this book. I will certainly read news in a different light after reading Confessions Of An Economic Hit Man, an extraordinary book.