Short description
"Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" reveals a game that, according to John Perkins, is "as old as Empire" but has taken on new and terrifying dimensions in an era of globalization. This book is a blistering attack on a little-known phenomenon that has had dire consequences on both the victimized countries and the U.S.
Long description
The runaway bestseller that has generated a major movie dealand an international dialoguewith over 170,000 copies sold in hardcover and seven weeks on the New York Times list 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 knowhe 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 mans 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. A] gripping tell-all book. The Rocky Mountain News Astonishing. Boston Herald This riveting look at a world of intrigue reads like a spy novel . . . Highly recommended. Library Journal Here are the real-life detailsnasty, manipulative, plain evilof international corporate skullduggery spun into a tale rivaling the darkest espionage thriller.Greg Palast, author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy
Review
aPerkins is both alarming and entertaining, writing with the cutting precision and wit of a hard-boiled novelist.a
a Rocky Mountain News
aA sweeping, bold assault on the tyranny of corporate globalization, full of drama and adventure, with devastating stories of greed run wild.a
aHoward Zinn, author of A Peopleas History of the United States
aPerkinas books have helped me better understand something that has been puzzling me for a long time: Why have so many resource-rich countries in the developing world remained steadfastly poor? The answers he gives are both complex and uncomfortable, and none of us in the first world can abrogate responsibility easily.a
aSting
aThis devastating indictment of current economic policies also offers hope by showing the power of the growing movement toward a caring economics worldwide.a
aRiane Eisler, author of The Chalice and the Blade and The Real Wealth of Nations