Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins - Book review

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

By: John Perkins

Published: December 27, 2005
Format: Paperback, 320 pages
ISBN 9780452287082
Publisher: Penguin/Plume




"That is what EHMs do best: we build a global empire. We are an elite group of men and women who utilize international financial organizations to foment conditions that make other nations subservient to the corporatocracy running our biggest corporations, our governments, and our banks", writes former economic hit man John Perkins in his now classic, landmark book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. The author pulls no punches, as he describes the sordid and little known behind the scenes world of international debt, and the people who benefit from huge foreign government debts that can't be repaid. He also shares insights into how the misguided economic policies of corrupt business and government people drives the poor into even deeper despair.

John Perkins lived in a shadowy world where the major players were little known corporations, and corrupt politicians from various developing countries. His role was to induce the government of the targeted country to take out huge debt loads to finance hydroelectric projects, telecommunications systems, and energy development. The justification for loans were, according to the author, inflated and unattainable projections of economic growth attributed to the completed project. The main financial beneficiaries were a select group of international engineering and energy firms, a small group of banks, and a small collection of local elites. Any benefits or costs to the general population of the country was never a consideration. At the same time, there was what John Perkins called the larger plan. An indebted government, unable to repay their massive foreign debt, would be ripe for favors and support for any United States government global activities.



John Perkins (photo left) doesn't simply describe the cloak and dagger world in which he lived and worked during his time as an economic hit man. This is also a deeply personal book, and as the title makes clear, it is a deeply personal confession. The author admits that he was torn between doing his job well, and his conscience. He developed serious misgivings regarding the harm he was doing to the people living in the targeted countries. He confesses that he developed several rationalizations to salve his tortured conscience, but over time these artificial balms lost their effectiveness. John Perkins writes bluntly that he sold his soul for the money and other material benefits he derived from being an EHM. The book is an attempt at buying back is lost soul, finding redemption for his past, and eventually receiving absolution.

For me, the power of the book is found on several levels. John Perkins opens up the formerly hidden world of international debt and its role in creating governments subservient to the global empire. His vivid descriptions of his role in the overall plan, and his sharing of important details of his career as an EHM, are powerful and lasting. At another level, he confesses his personal battle for his conscience and his lost soul. His personal love for the people and the countries he was to bankrupt, is poignant and moving, especially given his employers' motive for sending him to those developing nations. Despite the damage done to the lives of the people, their countries and the environment, the book is one of hope. John Perkins believes strongly in the power of democracy and of people to determine their own destinies. He offers powerful advice and ideas for building a better and more ethical and just world, that works for the many, and not just the few.

I very highly recommend the powerful and seminal book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins, to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the world than is depicted in the daily headlines. The author describes a dangerous world where power, money, and threats of assassination and invasion are very real. Instead of this dark and deadly globe, John Perkins proposes a world based on freedom, equality, and ethical business and government. The author makes clear that the deliberate economic problems created by the economic hit men have and will continue to return to hurt everyone. For the author, no one benefits from an unjust, unsafe and environmentally ravaged planet.

Read the absolutely must read book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins, and discover how the pressing issue of global debt problems and its related global poverty, were created in part through the activities of EHMs. Learn how foreign aid and international debt worked to impoverish countless developing countries, and how that debt was created intentionally to install subservient politicians. John Perkins provides a powerful and eye opening guide book for understanding how the world of international finance really works, and how to replace the system with one that is just, ethical, and beneficial to the needs and aspirations of everyone.