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Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 13,232 ratings · 2,006 reviews

From the author of the phenomenal New York Times bestseller, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, comes an exposé of international corruption, and an inspired plan to turn the tide for future generations

With a presidential election around the corner, questions of America's military buildup, environmental impact, and foreign policy are on everyone's mind. Former Economic Hi...more

Paperback, 320 pages

Published December 27th 2005 by Plume (first published 2004)

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Oct 24, 2008 Will Byrnes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, economics, brain-candy

This is a remarkable work, decades in the making. Perkins is the real deal, an economist who worked for international consortia to pillage the third world. The modus operandi was to perform economic analysis of target nations that indicated a rate of growth far in excess of any real possibility in order to justify offering those nations huge loans, loans they were never expected to be able to repay. The point of this was twofold. First, the money loaned would find its way right back into the poc...more

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Apr 16, 2007 Mona rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, life-stories, politics, panama, indonesia, ecuador, saudi-arabia

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, while purportedly the author's memoir and hard-hitting expose of his work in the "corporatocracy", reads more like a flat and repetitive mass market thriller. In the 1970s, John Perkins began working for MAIN, an international consulting firm, as an economist who developed inflated projections of development in poor countries, so that they would then become dependent on richer countries like the United States. As Perkins explains, the "corporatocracy" consists...more Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, while purportedly the author's memoir and hard-hitting expose of his work in the "corporatocracy", reads more like a flat and repetitive mass market thriller. In the 1970s, John Perkins began working for MAIN, an international consulting firm, as an economist who developed inflated projections of development in poor countries, so that they would then become dependent on richer countries like the United States. As Perkins explains, the "corporatocracy" consists of international corporations, banks, and governments that utilize various financial and political resources to enforce and maintain the idea that all economic growth is beneficial, and futhermore, is most beneficial to those that instigate, while those who do not should be exploited. To illustrate this idea, Perkins explains his travels and work in countries such as Panama, Indonesia, and Ecuador. He also details his transition from economic hit man to concerned American citizen.

For all I know, Perkins' account may be one-hundred percent true, but there were several things which I did not find convincing. He presents the idea of the corporatocracy as a novel concept, whereas anyone paying the slightest attention to world politics and history over the past fifty years is most likely already aware of the trend of a few governments, banks and corporations controlling the global arena and the victimization of poorer populations. It is difficult to trust Perkins-the-narrator, especially since he tends toward cloak-and-dagger dramatizations and also because he made a living for many years from deception and exaggeration. He claims that he was intimately involved in events such as the Saudi Arabian Money-Laundering Affair, but many of these claims are not supported by outside evidence. I also did not find Perkins to be a very sympathetic character. He continually expresses his frustration with his job in one sentence and then justifies his choice to stick with it in the next by painting a picture of himself as a victim.

I don't find much of Perkins' account to be reliable, but as a semi-fictional account, more in the line of a mass-market thriller loosely based on reality, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man makes important points about the ways in which the corporatocracy works to uphold the status quo.
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Jul 01, 2012 شريف rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorit

كتاب ممتاز وهو أحد الكتب المفضله لدي بلا جدال .. هو عبارة عن مذكرات قرصان إقتصادي دولي .. ويحكي الرجل تجربته مع هذه الوظيفة.

يتحدث الرجل عن أنه بينما لجأت القوى القديمة (بريطانيا وفرنسا) للإحتلال العسكري المكلف مادياً وبشرياً؛ نهجت الولايات المتحدة نهج مختلف تماماً وهو ما عرف بـ(سياسة الإحتواء الإقتصادي) والتي تتلخص في مبدأ بسيط جداً ألا وهو إستخدام الموئسسات الدولية مثل "البنك الدولي" في تقديم مساعدات إقتصادية وقروض إعمار لدول العالم الثالث مقابل أن تقوم الشركات الأمريكية بتنفيذ المشروعات الكبرى...more كتاب ممتاز وهو أحد الكتب المفضله لدي بلا جدال .. هو عبارة عن مذكرات قرصان إقتصادي دولي .. ويحكي الرجل تجربته مع هذه الوظيفة.

يتحدث الرجل عن أنه بينما لجأت القوى القديمة (بريطانيا وفرنسا) للإحتلال العسكري المكلف مادياً وبشرياً؛ نهجت الولايات المتحدة نهج مختلف تماماً وهو ما عرف بـ(سياسة الإحتواء الإقتصادي) والتي تتلخص في مبدأ بسيط جداً ألا وهو إستخدام الموئسسات الدولية مثل "البنك الدولي" في تقديم مساعدات إقتصادية وقروض إعمار لدول العالم الثالث مقابل أن تقوم الشركات الأمريكية بتنفيذ المشروعات الكبرى في الدولة المستدينة مثل محطات طاقة ومطارات وشبكات طرق وشبكات إتصالات؛ وفي الوقت الذي تستدين هذه الدول من البنك الدولي تكون فوائد القروض أكبر من قدرة هذه الدول على السداد ومن ثم تتراكم فوائد القروض وتعجز هذه الدول عن السداد.

هنا تتدخل الولايات المتحدة "لمساعدة" هذه الدول مقابل قواعد عسكرية أمريكية على أراضي هذه الدولة أو لتمرير قرارات معينه في مجلس الأمن أو القيام بإصلاحات إقتصادية داخلية معينه (خصخصة القطاع العام، الضريبة العقارية، الكويز، .. الخ) تساهم في زيادة الطين بللاً. بهذا يكون البنك الدولي فاز بفوائد القرض وفازت الشركات بأموال عقود الإعمار وفازت الولايات المتحدة بالسيطرة السياسية على الدولة المستدينة ولا يوجد خاسر في هذه اللعبة سوى المستدين. تكرر هذا الأمر في دول كثيرة جداً مما يطرح سؤالاً مهما؛ لماذا تستدين هذه الدول أصلاً؟؟

عملت سياسة الإنجليز (المستعمر القديم) على تنصيب ما يسمى بالواجهة المحلية في الحكم. هذه الواجهة تظل في الحكم مادامت محافظة على مصالح الاستعمار وعندما تفشل في الحفاظ عليه يتم التنكيل بها كما حدث مع (نورويجا في بنما؛ صدام حسين في العراق؛ مبارك في مصر) وبالتالي فموافقة صانعي القرار في الدول الصغرى على الاستدانة بقروض لن تحتاج اليها دولهم لن يصبح مشكلة كبيرة لأن هذه الواجهة المحلية تدين ببقائها في السلطة للولايات المتحدة؛ مما يعني أنها ستوافق على أي قرض ما دامت الولايات المتحدة أمرت به. وللعجب فبينما جلست لكتابة هذه السطور قرأت عن إحباط القوات الأمريكية لمحاولة إنقلاب القوات المسلحة القطرية على الواجهة المحلية "حمد بن جاسم" وذلك لأن الرجل يسير وفق المخطط الأمريكي الكبير بمنتهى الدقة ولا داعي لإستبداله الآن

للتدليل على نظرية الإحتواء الإقتصادي دعونا ننظر لبلد وقعت في براثن الإحتواء الإقتصادي بنفس الأسلوب .. في آواخر ستينات القرن الماضي تم إكتشاف إحتياطي كبير للنفط في "إندونيسيا" وفوراً أصدرت الإدارة الأمريكية الأوامر للشركات الأمريكية العملاقة بضرورة إحتواء إندونيسيا بأي ثمن حتى لا تقع في قبضة المعسكر الشيوعي بكل ما تملكه من إمكانيات نفطيه هائله.

توجه مسئولين من هذه الشركات لمقابلة صانعي القرار في إندونيسيا لتقديم عروض بتجديد شبكة الكهرباء وبناء محطات طاقة جديدة تساعد على بناء المزيد من المطارات والطرق والمصانع وإحداث نهضة إقتصادية في إندونيسيا وعرض المسئولين في هذه الشركات "التوسط" لدى البنك الدولي لتسهيل هذه القروض.

قامت الشركات الأمريكية بوضع توقعات أحمال طاقة عالية جداً تفوق حاجة إندونيسيا الفعلية؛ فالحقيقة أن أحمال الكهرباء التي كانت تكفي لم تكن تتعدي الـ 8% من قدرة الشبكة ولكن الشركات قدرت الأحمال المتوقعة بـ 20% حتى تزيد قيمة القرض ولم تمض أكثر من 5 سنوات شهدت فيها إندونيسيا طفرة بالفعل ولكن حين جاء ميعاد تحصيل الفوائد هرعت إندونيسيا لأمريكا طالبة العون. هنا قبلت أمريكا أن تساعد إندونيسا على التدخل لدى البنك الدولي لجدولة الديون في مقابل الحصول على عقد إحتكار للشركات الأمريكية للتنقيب عن البترول في الأراضي الإندونيسية.

وبهذا تم نقل مال القرض من خزانة البنك الدولي الى مصارف نيويورك و واشنطن وحصل البنك الدولي على الفوائد فيما حصلت الولايات المتحدة على البترول وفازت الشركات بأموال القرض التي ستصب مباشرة في خانة الإقتصاد الأمريكي. وهكذا تم نهب ثروات إندونيسيا على الرغم من أنه كان بلداً واعداً جداً ذو مستقبل مشرق.

وتستمر المأساة مع الجميع .. وفي الكتاب نمازج أكثر وقاحة منها مثلا تدخل عسكري مباشر في كل من بنما والعراق لتوريد عقود إعادة إعمار تساهم في رفع حالة الإقتصاد المتهاوي للولايات المتحدة

الكتاب مهم جدا .. إقرأوه بالله عليكم :)(less)

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Nov 22, 2007 Scott rated it 1 of 5 stars

Terrible. Here's the book in a nutshell. "I'm in <3rd world country> doing . I feel bad about this. I meet . He takes me to . I learn . I return to my out of touch american enclave and happen upon . He like a prophet." The process then repeats.

Anyway, I'm sure the ideas in this book will help some 19 year old get laid. and if you are that 19 year old then I can not recommend this book highly enough.

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Feb 02, 2013 فاطمة عبدالسلام rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: بتوعي

كنت متخوفة عند شروعي في قراءة هذا الكتاب والذي يبدو من اسمه اني سأواجه تعقيدات إحصائية لن أفهمها ولكن كان هذا عكس توقعاتي تماما . كان الكتاب سيرة ذاتية لما اطلقه على نفسه "إعترافات قرصان إقتصاد" فالكتاب لغته سلسة كحكاية يخبرنا فيها طبيعة عمله وكيف حققوا أهدافهم المنشودة في معظم بلدان العالم.

يعد تلخيص الفكرة الأساسية لعملية القرصنة تلك عن كيفية الإغتيال الإقتصادي للأمم خاصة دول العالم الثالث النامية بإقناع تلك الدول بالتعاون معها للنهوض بها لكي تلحق بركب التقدم عن طريق توقيع عقود مع شركات خاضعة ل...more كنت متخوفة عند شروعي في قراءة هذا الكتاب والذي يبدو من اسمه اني سأواجه تعقيدات إحصائية لن أفهمها ولكن كان هذا عكس توقعاتي تماما . كان الكتاب سيرة ذاتية لما اطلقه على نفسه "إعترافات قرصان إقتصاد" فالكتاب لغته سلسة كحكاية يخبرنا فيها طبيعة عمله وكيف حققوا أهدافهم المنشودة في معظم بلدان العالم.

يعد تلخيص الفكرة الأساسية لعملية القرصنة تلك عن كيفية الإغتيال الإقتصادي للأمم خاصة دول العالم الثالث النامية بإقناع تلك الدول بالتعاون معها للنهوض بها لكي تلحق بركب التقدم عن طريق توقيع عقود مع شركات خاضعة للكربوقراطية _سأعرفها بعد قليل_ لتطوير البنية التحتية لتلك البلدان عن طريق شق طرق جديدة، وإنشاء محطات توليد الكهرباء، وبناء السدود وشبكات الإتصالات وغير ذلك. في حين يقوم هؤلاء القراصنة والذين يطلق عليهم "خبراء إقتصاديين" بتوقع معدلات تنمية إقتصادية مرتفعة _و بالطبع توقعات منافية للحقيقة_ مما يعمل على تورط تلك الدول بشكل أكبر عن طريق مد فترة عقود تلك الشركات، إنشاء مشاريع ضخمة بتكلفة باهظة وفي الأخير لا تحقق المعدلات المطلوبة مما يدفع تلك الدول في النهاية للإستدانة والعجز عن سداد الديون فتتدخل الدولة العظمى "الإمبراطورية" بفرض شروطها كـ بناء قواعد عسكرية ، السيطرة على موارد طبيعية ، إستغلال البترول وهكذا .. وتفرض سيطرتها على تلك البلدان التي تتبع لها في النهاية وتنفذ سياستها.

أما عن مصطلح "الكربوقراطية" فهي مجوعة الشركات الكبرى والبنوك والحكومات مجتمعة الذين يعملون على تحقيق حلم الإمبراطورية الأمريكية وفرض سيطرتها على العالم أجمع. فالكربوقراطية متورط فيها البنك الدولي، صندوق النقد، أسماء الشركات الكبرى التي نسمع عنها كـ"فورد" على سبيل المثال وممثلين الحكومة أنفسهم رؤساء الولايات المتحدة الواحد تلو الآخر كـ(كارتر،ريجان،جورج بوش) ويحكي الكاتب عن تجربته الرئيسية والتي بدأت من فترة السبعينيات إلى أواخر التسعينات إلا إنه ظل على اتصال وتحليل لمجريات الأمور بعدها..

يحكي عن تجربته في كل من (إندونسيا، الإكوادور، بنما، إيران، السعودية، العراق)
كل بلد ولها تجربتها المختلفة وموقفها من الرفض لإدراكها تلك الخدعة ورفضها للهيمنة الأمريكية الفجة أو القبول والإذعان وتنفيذ السياسة الأمريكية مقابل وعود بالحفاظ على حكمهم وتطوير دولتهم ..
كان يصل الأمر أحيانا للتصفية الجسدية في حالة الرفض كما حدث لرئيس بنما "عمر توريخوس" أو الإكوادور "رولدوس" .. وصل الحد بها لإستنزاف كل ما تجده أمامها من مصادر الطاقة والقوة لدرجة إنها لن يتبقى لها أخيراً إلا أن تلتهم نفسها !!

يصف الكاتب انهم كقراصنة إقتصاد استوعبوا دروس التاريخ فلن يقتحموا الدول بدروعهم وسيوفهم ولكنهم يرتدون نفس هيئة البلدان التي يتواجدون فيها ويمارسون أعمالهم بشكل طبيعي ويحاضرون في أعرق الجامعات
وقد كونوا صورة جيدة عن أنفسهم ولا يعدون ما يفعلونه خروج عن القانون حيث ان النظام في الأصل مبني على خدعة ويصف نفسه بأنه قانوني !!
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Feb 08, 2013 Abdelrahman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

لن أستطيع كتابة ملخص للكتاب ، و لكن من يريد أن يفهم كيف تتداخل السياسة مع الاقتصاد ، من يريد أن يتيقن أن الاستعمار العسكرى لما يعد هو الحل الأمثل الأن لأنشاء الامبراطوريات بل الاستعمار الاقتصادى ، لتغير مفاهيمك عن البنك الدولى و القروض .. اقرأ هذا الكتاب

كتاب دسم .. يفتح لك أفاقا أخرى .. يكفينى أنى عرفت منه اسم لرئيس نبيل اسمه " عمر توريخوس " أنوى بإذن الله قريبا أن أقرأ الكتاب الذى كتبه عنه جراهام جرين ( الجنرال كما عرفته )

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Sep 09, 2007 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good message, important, but reads like fiction. If this guy wanted to have any serious impact he should have written something less sensational. Also, he's a jackass. He spent his whole life screwing over everybody, including his friends, and then he writes a book (for which he probably made lots of money and became famous) and we're supposed to believe this guy suddenly developed a conscience? I don't buy it.

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Mar 28, 2009 Kainan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, politics

My short review is this: 'Confessions' is a good introduction to the darker side of foreign policy and the effects of globalization.

My slightly longer explanation is this: Paradoxically, what makes the book more accessible is also what turns many people off to it. It takes a chunk of history about a particular topic, and describes it in largely narrative form. Much of this is due to the book being an 'account' of Perkins' career during that time. Admittedly, it becomes somewhat taxing at times t...more

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Aug 21, 2008 Trevor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: economics, social-theory, history

At the end of Three Days of the Condor the guy who is not Robert Redford, the guy who is the evil CIA operative who has been trying to ‘bring him home’ throughout the film - which we have guessed is a euphuism for ‘take him out’ - is talking about why the CIA does bad, manipulative things in the world. He tells Redford that it is simple economics and anyway, what would Redford expect them to do? Redford says he should ask the American people first. The CIA man looks at Redford in the way so many...more At the end of Three Days of the Condor the guy who is not Robert Redford, the guy who is the evil CIA operative who has been trying to ‘bring him home’ throughout the film - which we have guessed is a euphuism for ‘take him out’ - is talking about why the CIA does bad, manipulative things in the world. He tells Redford that it is simple economics and anyway, what would Redford expect them to do? Redford says he should ask the American people first. The CIA man looks at Redford in the way so many people do when confronted with the naivety of the person they are talking to, but finally replies, “Ask them when there's no heat and they're cold. Ask them when their engines stop. Ask them when people who have never known hunger start going hungry. Want to know something? They won't want us to ask them. They'll want us to get it for them.”

The whole way through this most remarkable book I found myself thinking of that line and that last scene from Three Days of the Condor. This is one of the most fascinating books I’ve read in quite a long time. It reads like a Le Carre novel or something by Graham Green, and yet it is autobiographical.

A young man becomes drawn into international finance and has the role of convincing third world countries (particularly the leaders of these countries) to take out loans that are so huge their countries will never be able to repay them. They do this so as to ensure that these countries become satellites orbiting the American Empire. His job was to make these countries compliant, dependent, and endlessly economically exploitable.

Perkins asserts that the economic hit men were potentially only phase one of what could become a three phase attack on the democratic rights and independence of foreign nations. If bribing the leaders of countries with massive loans they could never repay didn’t work, then the jackals were sent in to kill selected targets and to create mayhem that would ensure the ‘right’ people would be put into power. If this didn’t work, then US troops were sent in. He gives instance after instance of where this pattern was applied in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia over a period of about three decades. It would be hard to imagine someone from the US reading this book without a growing sense of shame. It is hard to read this book from anywhere in the first world without feelings of responsibility, disgust and self-loathing. He reminds us continually that our lavish and unsustainable life style is only possible by the exploitation unto death of large parts of the globe.

This is also a remarkably well written autobiography – if Noam Chomsky was to make up a character who walked the path of evil before converting and walking the path of righteousness, he’s have come up with someone pretty much like John Perkins. Perkins does not come out of this book a saint, but he does come out of it a bit of a hero – I think.

It surprises me more I can say that this book ever got published. I believe we live in times when global capitalism is so cocksure of its pre-eminence and unassailability that it doesn’t even bother to cover up its deeds. I think I preferred it when the rulers of the world at least pretended they were concerned we might overthrown them if we caught them at their cheating. I think I preferred it when they would lie to us, if for no better reason than purely out of shame. Now they don’t even bother to treat us to that level of respect. We have become completely contemptible. Where they can do whatever they like and then rub our noses in it and we will only shake our heads and complain about how powerless we are.

This really is a fascinating book, fascinating in the literal sense of having one’s attention stolen as we read. Like I said, this reads like a spy novel, but made even more compelling by it being true.

This book demands to be read.
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Feb 10, 2008 Maura rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, economics

I'd had high expectations of this book and was very disappointed--mostly because I wasn't able to get past the fact that Perkins is a chauvinistic pig who I hated from the beginning til the end. He must have thought the fact that he later wrote a "confessional" about being a chauvinistic pig would make his readers forgive him or feel sorry for him, but that definitely wasn't the case for me. Also, he writes like a horny 10th grader--very poorly, and in the middle of discussing serious issues he...more

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Aug 17, 2007 Len rated it 4 of 5 stars

I don't know why I keep reading books like this...I only get more and more depressed about the state of the world. Perkins' story is well told and it kept me interested throughout.

Like a lot of other political books I've read of late, this one is made even more relevant by the events that have occurred even in the short time since it was published. The book tells the tale of the American led imperialism around the world leading up to the events of 9/11 and even the subsequent invasion of Iraq....more

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Apr 11, 2007 sonia rated it 2 of 5 stars

It's an interesting story. He has the perspective of the "insider" in the whole international development industry. Obviously then, his tales of drinking coffee with Torijjos or dealing with Iranian revolutions in the 1970s is fun to read.

Although, he reaches a point by the end of the book where he goes a bit overboard with his guilt. You empathize with him all the way through the book until he just starts spewing nonsense about feeling guilty for Iraq and 9/11. I think it's almost an ironic ro...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Nadia Alblooshi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

من أكثر الكتب التي أحدثت لي صدمة في حياتي. هذا الكتاب يكشف عن الحقائق المخفية عن المساعدات التي تقدمها الامبراطوريات للدول الفقيرة. لقد فهمت تاريخ أندونيسيا وبنما ودول أمريكا اللاتينية وأصبحت أفهم لماذا يعيش البعض في فقر مدقع ويرتع آخرون في محيطات الثروة! في هذا الكتاب حقائق تجعلك تمسك برأسك من شدة الألم، وربما ينتهي بك المطاف وقد غيرت نظرتك للعالم من حولك، ووضعت أهدافا جديدة ونزعت أهدافا كثيرة كنت قد وضعتها سابقا.. ببساطة لأنك قد تتعرف إلى أمور أكثرأهمية للعمل من أجلها.
إن هذا الكتاب كان دفعة مه...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Esraa Muhammed rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

كتاب مثير,لو قال لى احدهم انك ممكن تقرا كتاب اقتصاد مثير
بالتاكيد كنت سوف اجيبه انك تبالغ
لكن تلك حقيقه ذلك الكتاب لجون بيركنز,هو كتاب قوى من حيث المحتوى
انه ليست مجرد كتاب يفضح الاميبراليه العالميه وسيطره الشركات الكبرى ,انه مثير من حيث الاعترفات واسلوبها والصراع النفسى الذى تعيشه مع الكاتب
اما عن محتوى الكتاب,فانه هناك معلومات يتداولها البعض ولكن عندما تتاكد من اصل تلك المعلومات وعندما تعرف تفاصيلها تعرف بشاعه الحقيقه مثل حقيقه التامر على رئيس بنما وحقيقه النهضه فى المملكه العربيه السعوديه وغسيل...more

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Feb 10, 2009 Jeff rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: nobody

Boring, self righteous, and, it turns out, totally made up!

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Aug 18, 2011 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir

This book got 5 stars because it is highly disturbing and everyone especially Americans should read this book. Perkins writes his true story of what he did when he was an economic hit man. The basic gist is that he went to other countries promising the growth of their economy if they contracted engineers and workers from the States to install infrastructures such as electricity and running water. It looks like a great idea to the government because they are "helping" their people by creating a b...more

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Mar 01, 2009 Thamrong rated it 3 of 5 stars

Nothing altruistic about foreign aids; multilateral agencies come in many colors and shapes like World Bank,Asian Bank, US Aid and IMF. Less developed countries leaders succumbed to the temptation of selling their sovereignty to the devils. The lucrative loans for infrastructure loan is not meant for social development to benefit the poor mess instead to ensnare the host countries for political allegiance and control. Who benefits! The local oligarchy. The book reinforce my believe of the decept...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Vheissu rated it 1 of 5 stars

Ordinarily, I would not waste my time reading such claptrap, except that my colleagues are assigning this book to our students and my cousin graciously gave me a copy. As an act of respect to my cousin (and rebuke to my colleagues), I hereby offer my reactions to this grotesque excuse for a “memoir.”

I should acknowledge my own professional background first, so that those inclined to dismiss my criticisms may do so without further regard. In the late 1970s and throughout most of the 1980s, I was...more Ordinarily, I would not waste my time reading such claptrap, except that my colleagues are assigning this book to our students and my cousin graciously gave me a copy. As an act of respect to my cousin (and rebuke to my colleagues), I hereby offer my reactions to this grotesque excuse for a “memoir.”

I should acknowledge my own professional background first, so that those inclined to dismiss my criticisms may do so without further regard. In the late 1970s and throughout most of the 1980s, I was an international business analyst for a New York-based think tank, a major international oil company, and the sixth-largest bank in the United States. In particular, I assisted my employers in assessing the political risks associated with foreign direct investments and sovereign lending. In my decade long employment, I never heard anybody express sentiments like those claimed in this book. The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Sherman Antitrust Act are stern realities for American businesspeople, who are no more likely than anybody else to commit their felonious intentions to paper or share them frankly with others, especially competitors.

I should also state that I was only able to read the first two chapters of this book before I could stomach it no more (see below). I was once before suckered into reading a wretched conspiracy tome by the taunt, “How can you claim it is wrong if you haven’t read it?” To that I now respond, “I’ll read your book if you will read one selected by me.” Curiously, I have had no takers.

Chapter 2 of the book, breathlessly entitled “In for Life,” demolishes the author’s credibility in ten brisk pages, both in terms of his personal integrity as well as his respect for the intelligence of his readers. In this chapter we first meet his femme fatale, “an attractive brunette” with “soft green eyes,” “Claudine Martin,” who corrupts the “naïve, intimidated, and bedazzled” hero of the tale with promises of being “well paid—well paid” in return for “cheating countries around the globe out of billions of dollars.” Foolishly presuming that he can rationalize his villainous behavior with “the old ‘working from inside’ justification,” Ms. Martin warns our penitent, ala la Cosa Nostra: “Don’t be foolish. Once you’re in, you can never get out. You must decide for yourself, before you get in any deeper.” Neither Ms. Marin nor our hero ever specifies the exact penalty for blabbing, but apparently it did not preclude authoring a bestselling tell-all confession with seeming impunity and without witness protection. O apostasy, where is thy sting?

Our redeemed narrator minces no words about his brief:

I would work to bankrupt the countries that received [international loans] (after they had paid MAIN and the other U.S. contractors, of course) so that they would be forever beholden to their creditors, and so they would present easy targets when we needed favors, including military bases, UN votes, or access to oil and other natural resources.

That the interests of the U.S. military-industrial-complex are identical to those of American international companies generally is asserted without benefit of factual or logical support and plenty of evidence to the contrary, notwithstanding. Mr. Perkins, on the other hand, draws the reader’s attention to banal and trivial details. For example, “Claudine and I openly discussed the deceptive nature of GNP.” Really? Is that why no economist or social scientist of any repute, much less businesspeople, rely on such data for policy- and decision-making? Or, the theft of poor countries’ wealth was “intended to create large profits for the contractors and to make a handful of wealthy and influential families in the receiving countries very happy…” Do tell. Surely it is common knowledge that private companies act in the financial interests of their owners, typically forsaking altruistic contributions toward non-owners, as a way of doing business. Stop the presses. And this: “the main reason we establish embassies around the world is to serve our own interests, which during the last half of the twentieth century meant turning the American republic into a global empire.” I do not know whose interests a nation’s foreign policy ought to serve other than its own; seeking imperial hegemony over other countries hardly sets the United States apart from other great powers. Similarly, our formerly faithless but now faithful informer reveals, “The rich get richer and the poor grow poorer.” Yawn.

Elsewhere, our intrepid confessor seems to contradict himself about the ultimate beneficiaries of his corporate crimes and misdemeanors. He writes that his job was “to encourage world leaders to become a part of a vast network that promotes U.S. commercial interests,” while also asserting that “the empowerment of international corporations and of multinational corporations such as the World Bank and the IMF” were financed primarily by the “United States and our sister empire builders in Europe” (emphasis mine).So, which is it, an American imperium or a world condominium of great military and economic powers?

Case in point is the shocking—shocking!—revelation that British and American intelligence services helped overturn the government of Iran after the Iranians “nationalized all Iranian petroleum assets” in 1951. An “outraged England,” the principal owner of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Co., and its special ally, the United States, set their respective intelligence agencies to the task and brought down the government of Mohammad Mossadegh, reinstalling the Shah as the “unchallenged dictator” and presumably the defender of foreign business interests in the kingdom. Lost in this and the many other recitations of this well-known and –documented covert action is the fact that the Shah did not return the oil fields to their former British masters after the coup but kept them under the Iranian National Oil Co. instead, where they remain to this day. Measured by Perkins’ criteria, the coup against Mossadegh was a cruel failure for Britain. The Shah nonetheless managed to destroy the communist-led Tudeh Party and become the United States’ main arms buyer in the Persian Gulf region, suggesting at least the possibility that other motives were at play in addition to the disposition of Iran’s oil reserves.

Mr. Perkin’s tale is not the least bit credible but certainly corroboratory of the suspicions of those predisposed to believe him; others, not so much. Perhaps the most shocking fact is that otherwise sensible social scientists would include this confession in their syllabi. Sigh.
(less)

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Nov 03, 2012 Erik Graff rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Americans

Recommended to Erik by: Kristian Buschmann

Shelves: biography

The author of this book, John M. Perkins (not the same person as the Christian anti-racism activist), devoted the early part of his career to the planned exploitation of Third World economies on behalf of the interests of corporations, primarily American. He represents himself as one of many and his activities as being wholesale. Now, presumably repentent, he has become an advocate of traditional cultures worldwide.

Reading his story has reminded me of a young friend I have. Recently returned fro...more

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Nov 08, 2007 Sean rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: business, totalcrap

This is garbage. Worse than that, I think this book is dangerous. First of all, I think Perkins is a total liar. I don’t doubt that there are people out there that make their living by betting against developing countries, and I don’t doubt that there are people who have an economic incentive for progressive third world leaders to fail. But I really doubt that the way these people ply their trade is by having beautiful blonds show young business guys (in this case, Perkins) the dark path by inte...more

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Aug 13, 2007 Dan rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: hippies, anti globalization folks, people curious about the controversy

This book is autobiographical by a former economist for the world bank. He describes how he undermined the economies and governments of third world countries by making wildly optimistic projections about their growth as to facilitate getting them into debt to first world countries. There is lots of personal cloak and dagger type anecdotes about how he was supposedly trained by the NSA.

This book is written simply and it reads quickly. The writing in simplistic and narrative. Although it is suppos...more

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Jul 02, 2007 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those who don't think that the US is doing some dirty stuff!

Shelves: booksofthepast

Hah, this book PROVES it! Now anyone who wants to argue that the American government is involved in the economies of foreign counries puerly for humanitarian reasons can take off the blinders! For that matter, anyone who doesn't think that MOST of what the US is doing in other countries is screwed up can also remove said blinders. This book, while not incredibly well written, chronicles the experiences of John Perkins, a former Peace Corps volunteer, as he embarks on the career of "economic hitm...more

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May 25, 2007 Jeff Maxwell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: economic geeks like myself

Here's why a lot of people won't like this book: it's brutally honest, historically accurate, and it has a message.

Here's why a lot of people will like this book: see above.

Perkins story about himself is not for everyone; I'll tell you that right now. The biggest reasons are a) his constant dealings with historical leaders, politics, and world geography throughout the 60's, 70's, and 80's; and b) even though he translates many economic terms and explains what he's doing, how, where, when, and wh...more

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Sep 17, 2007 Nathan rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Shoppers.

Shelves: cia, history, history-crime, history-politics, science-social-theory-etc, trust-no-one

The scariest thing about this book is that if you read it having read nothing about the CIA or the overseas financial games the agency (and US corporations acting with CIA influence) has played around the world, it seems like frightening fiction written by a conspiratorial nutjob. If you read it having read a few books about the history of the CIA, you're twice as scared because you know it all may be true. Perkins writing is fitting for the topic, and reading Confessions of an Economic Hitman i...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Napshana added it

If you have an idea, this book will give you the picture. It you haven't, it will give you both. I think John Perkins should do its detailed version.

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Dec 29, 2008 Matthew rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love the whole conspiracy theory, hiding behind the ignorant veil the masses, theme that this book so intelligently portrays. This book takes a unique approach to the entire world of cloak and dagger showing how the economic pressures placed upon many of the world's struggling nations through the devious actions of America, in cooperation with many other superpowers, are actually more devastating than even our military ones. This book made me excited, sad, and angry all at once. It is a great...more

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Oct 08, 2008 Maura rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: AMERICANS

Recommended to Maura by: Dr. Schweickart

Shelves: economics

This is a TERRIFYING, DEPRESSING but MUST-READ book giving an insider's perspective into American corporate amorality.

I appreciate that the author wrote this book and honestly detailed his role in the exploitation of less-developed countries. The author's company worked on the assumption that everyone in power is corruptible; heartbreakingly, this turned out to be almost entirely accurate. I strongly disliked the author for the irreparable damage he's done to countless innocent people in less-de...more

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Jan 22, 2013 ابن رشد rated it 3 of 5 stars

انتهيت - والحمد لله - من كتاب " الاغتيال الاقتصادي للامم" ل جون بركنز ، وهي سيرة ذاتية لاحد اعضاء الكوربراتية العالمية

ملاحظات عامة:
1- الكتاب سيرة ذاتية تمتد منذ اواخر الستينات وحتي بداية الالفية
2- الكاتب عمل خبيرا اقتصاديا في احد الشركات الامريكية مما سمح له طبقا لخبراته ان يضطلع ويشارك في بناء النظام العالمي الجديد وما يعرف بالكوربراتية الدولية
3- الكتاب ينقسم لثلاث اقسام كبري ، الاول ما شاهده جون بركنز بنفسه وعاصره كاحد الفاعلين في النظام ، الثاني ما عاصره جون بركنز من مسافة ابعد قليلا كاحد اصح...more انتهيت - والحمد لله - من كتاب " الاغتيال الاقتصادي للامم" ل جون بركنز ، وهي سيرة ذاتية لاحد اعضاء الكوربراتية العالمية

ملاحظات عامة:
1- الكتاب سيرة ذاتية تمتد منذ اواخر الستينات وحتي بداية الالفية
2- الكاتب عمل خبيرا اقتصاديا في احد الشركات الامريكية مما سمح له طبقا لخبراته ان يضطلع ويشارك في بناء النظام العالمي الجديد وما يعرف بالكوربراتية الدولية
3- الكتاب ينقسم لثلاث اقسام كبري ، الاول ما شاهده جون بركنز بنفسه وعاصره كاحد الفاعلين في النظام ، الثاني ما عاصره جون بركنز من مسافة ابعد قليلا كاحد اصحاب الشركات ومستشار لاحدي الشركات الكبري ، الثالث مشاهداته وتحليلاته طبقا لخبراته ومعارفه دون مشاركة فعلية في الاحداث

ملاحظات شخصية :
1- الكتاب مهم بشكل عام وبخاصة لمن لم يقرا قبل ذلك عن الكوربراتية والشركات عابرة القومية والامبراطورية الامريكية
2- كونه سيرة ذاتية يعطيه حيوية انسانية ومصداقية خاصة انه به كم مراجع كبير ، ولكن تنقص منه العلمية والدقه بحيث يظل في نهاية الامر سيرة ذاتية
3- الكتاب يقدم فلسفة الاغتيال الاقتصادي وهي في نظري اهم من سرد تفاصيل ومعلومات واحداث تاريخية ولكنه لا يغني بالتاكيد عن زيادة التعمق في الموضوع
4- الكتاب يتناول فترة تاريخية قديمه نوعا ما ومن ثم فهو بحاجه لتكلمته بكتاب اخر يهتم بما حدث بعد ذلك ، ففترة عمل جون بركنز كقرصان اقتصادي انتهت سنة 80
5- لي ملاحظه حول الكاتب نفسه والذي طالما ذكر انه اراد التطهر من اثامه من خلال هذه الاعترافات، ولكن يجب ان نلاحظ انه نشر الكتاب فعليا سنة 2003-2004 وهو ما يعني ان ما ذكره قد مر عليه ما يزيد عن العشرين عاما مما يجعل تكفيره باعترافه هو امر نوعا ما ساذجا بقدر كبير
6- علي المستوي الشخصي لم استفد منه بالقدر الذي كنت اتوقعه نظرا لسابق قراءتي في هذا الموضوع وخاصة كتب روجيه جارودي
7- الفصل الاخير جيد بشكل عام وفكرته لطيفه بحيث يصبح الكتاب تحريضا مباشرا علي المقاومة والفعل وان كنت اود ان اشير الي عبثية قول المؤلف بان المشكلة ليست في النظام وانما في سوء استخدامه ، فمازال الكاتب اسيرا لمعتقداته وافكاره القديمه

كتاب " الاغتيال الاقتصادي للامم : اعترافات قرصان اقتصادي " تاليف جون بركنز ترجمة مصطفي الطناني وعاطف معتمد ، تقديم شريف دولار ، دار الطناني للنشر ، 275 صفحة قطع كبير ، 40 جنيه
ملحوظه : هناك طبعه جديده من الهيئة العامة للكتاب بثمن يقترب من عشر هذا المبلغ(less)

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Aug 06, 2011 Martine Taylor added it

I don't think this book is all that shocking. Is anyone REALLY surprised that politicians and corporations are using the system, deceiving others, and benefiting off third world resources? Are we surprised that people in power work with other people in power to their mutual financial benefit? that wars are really about resource issues? So maybe the fact that I wasn't shocked at all made this such an incredibly dry read. The style was very repetitive. By the end I was groaning out loud each time...more I don't think this book is all that shocking. Is anyone REALLY surprised that politicians and corporations are using the system, deceiving others, and benefiting off third world resources? Are we surprised that people in power work with other people in power to their mutual financial benefit? that wars are really about resource issues? So maybe the fact that I wasn't shocked at all made this such an incredibly dry read. The style was very repetitive. By the end I was groaning out loud each time the author mentioned his days with Claudine or his revelation as he gazed out at the bay. I also thought his take on infrastructure upgrades in third world countries was a tad one-sided: is he truly implying that the people are better off bathing in the river downstream from the guy defecating? That we should just leave the leppers alone? I get it that those with money are making more money off the way they are doing the infrastructure, and that it isn't benefitting enough of the people, but I really don't believe sewers and garbage collection are bad, especially not in big cities. Part of the problem with developing any area is also over-population which is never mentioned once. The idea that our country should stop taking advantage of other countries, I totally agree with, but in reality these infrastructure projects are just one mechanism for that. Look at what we do with AIDS medicine and Africa - it all has to be bought from US companies. Look at what's happened in our own country with the privatizing of our military (we pay a whole lot more tax money so that corporations can profit off of the war). I admire the author speaking out about his actual experiences. However, he came across a bit arogant to me. There is something a bit condescending about a man who made tons of money off deliberately deceiving others, then made more money off of eco-tourists, who's travel carbon footprint is probably off the charts, telling me I should reconsider shopping at Wal Mart and watch the news, and that will help fix things. Not that I disagree those are good things to do, but again, come on people, pay attention. That alone won't solve a thing. Worthwhile reading for people who don't pay attention to current events or those who do but just want their beliefs vindicated.(less)

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Dec 03, 2008 Adam rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Students of politics or international relations, Skeptical American's, Progressive politicians

Shelves: politics, current-events, non-fiction

In this tell-all-tale we learn about John Perkins' life as an Economic Hit Man, or EHM. Traveling the globe for a highly respected but suspiciously opaque consulting company, MAIN, Perkins efforts help to submit developing nations to the relentless and undying power of the emerging 'Coporatocracy.'

Using numbers, or more precisely, comfortably padded economic forecasts, Perkins convinces the leaders of developing nations to take on enormous development projects contracted by the companies that h...more In this tell-all-tale we learn about John Perkins' life as an Economic Hit Man, or EHM. Traveling the globe for a highly respected but suspiciously opaque consulting company, MAIN, Perkins efforts help to submit developing nations to the relentless and undying power of the emerging 'Coporatocracy.'

Using numbers, or more precisely, comfortably padded economic forecasts, Perkins convinces the leaders of developing nations to take on enormous development projects contracted by the companies that he is hired by. In turn, these countries take out unprecedented loans from major financial institutions in order to fund the projects. Without the means by which to ever fully repay these loans, such countries are in turn submitted to the will of the financial institutions, major contractors, and even foreign governments that helped them to 'develop.'

Under-qualified and overpaid, Perkins eventually faces a moral conundrum with the job that he is doing. While he is taught to ignore the human aspect of his work and instead focus on the macro economics of the projects, Perkins cannot ignore the negative impact of his clients' developments. Eventually, Perkins' morality conquers his greed and he finds himself leaving the consulting business, although he subsequently goes on payroll at a number of similar firms that are described as essentially paying him to stay quiet.

Finally, Perkins pulls out of the Corporatocracy in full and dedicates the remainder of the book to reflecting on the damage that he, and others like him, sometimes unknowingly cause. In reflection, Perkins suggests ways in which the 'average citizen' can help to fend off this trend of global domination before it is too late and America, like all empires before it, collapses in on itself.

Enjoyable, yes. Awe inspiring, not really. It's rather evident, at least to those who are somewhat aware of world events, that the majority of actions taken by the developed world in lesser developed countries is not usually for altruistic ends. While Perkins attempts to explain who exactly this subversion is accomplished, he seems to focus more on highlighting his own career and the personal dilemmas that he faced. At times, the author seems almost to be begging for sympathy. . .perhaps the use of the word 'confessions' in the title is all too appropriate.

A solidly interesting read though if you're looking for a way to change the world, stop the expansion of American 'imperialism,' or even get a job expanding it. . .you're not gonna find it here! A much better fictional story than a truly 'current events' expose as it is labeled. (less)

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About John Perkins

John Perkins is an activist and author. As a former chief economist at Boston strategic-consulting firm Chas. T. Main, Perkins says that he was an "economic hit man" for 10 years, helping U.S. intelligence agencies and multinational corporations cajole and blackmail foreign leaders into serving U.S. foreign policy and awarding lucrative contracts to American business.

However, after several years s...more

More about John Perkins...

Books by John Perkins

The Secret History of the American Empire: Economic Hit Men, Jackals & the Truth about Global Corruption

Hoodwinked: An Economic Hit Man Reveals Why the World Financial Markets Imploded & What We Need to Do to Save Them

Shapeshifting: Techniques for Global and Personal Transformation

The World Is As You Dream It: Teachings from the Amazon and Andes

Psychonavigation: Techniques for Travel Beyond Time

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“The United States spends over $87 billion conducting a war in Iraq while the United Nations estimates that for less than half that amount we could provide clean water, adequate diets, sanitations services and basic education to every person on the planet. And we wonder why terrorists attack us.” — 32 people liked it

“The choices we make within the boundaries of the twists of fate determines who we are” — 14 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2159.Confessions_of_an_Economic_Hit_Man?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309200153l/2159.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2159.Confessions_of_an_Economic_Hit_Man?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins[/url]

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

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