Confessions of an Economic Hitman review

I’ve heard a lot of people talking about this book and a good friend finally tipped the scales when she insisted I read it. I’m glad I did, it’s very interesting and I learnt a lot, but I have to say it was frustrating. When you read about all these things going on, blatant abuses of people who can’t defend themselves, you want to do something but there’s very little you can do.

I watched The Bourne Ultimatum this last weekend. When you watch a movie like that, they always unfold some top secret government plot involving assassins and other highly illegal and immoral activites. In the movies, the good guys always manage to break the story to the press and the baddies  end up in court or ‘off’ themselves.

This book, is a true story about those highly illegal and immoral activities, but there is no happy ending. The perpetrators have gotten away with it and continue to get away with it. It’s very frustrating.

John Perkins was an Economic Hitman for many years, finally his conscience got the better of him and he extricated himself from the ‘industry’. In an effort to appease his conscience he wrote this book to tell the world what happens behind the scenes of global politics and business. His job was basically to go into under developed countries and make overly optimistic forecasts for economic growth. The world Bank and IMF would then convince or pressurise the government of the country into borrowing money from them to pay for infrastructure to promote and support this forecasted growth. The terms of the loan ensured that all the contracts went to American firms (you’ve heard the names, Halliburton, Bechtel, etc). So American companies get the money which the country borrowed but when the economic growth does not occur (all part of the plan), the country is stuck with debt which it cannot pay. This puts America in the position of being able to plunder the natural resources of the country.

The author spends some time explaining the impact of American companies when they extract the natural resources of the country. There is no concern for the environment or the people. They poison rivers and pollute the land. Leading to the indigenous population suffering and dying from various maladies. They also pay the country very little for the resources so they get no benefit from their own resources.

Even more horrifying, any leader that goes against this system because he realises that it is designed to enslave the country, is removed. This is done by either clandestinely supporting the opposition in the election so that the ‘offending’ leader is removed from power or if this doesn’t work he is simply assassinated. The author gives a number of examples but there are many more.

As I said at the beginning, this is the stuff of movies. But unfortunately it’s real and there is no happy ending. You need to read this book so that you are aware of what is happening in the world. We are like sheep in pens, just going where we are told and doing what we are told until the time comes for us to be sacrificed. It’s time to wake up.

The book is available from Kalahari.net here.