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Confessions of an Economic Hit Man Hardcover – November 9, 2004


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"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.”

John Perkins should know—he was an economic hit man. His job was to convince countries that are strategically important to the U.S.—from Indonesia to Panama—to accept enormous loans for infrastructure development, and to make sure that the lucrative projects were contracted to U. S. corporations. Saddled with huge debts, these countries came under the control of the United States government, World Bank and other U.S.-dominated aid agencies that acted like loan sharks—dictating repayment terms and bullying foreign governments into submission.

This New York Times bestseller exposes international intrigue, corruption, and little-known government and corporate activities that have dire consequences for American democracy and the world. It is a compelling story that also offers hope and a vision for realizing the American dream of a just and compassionate world that will bring us greater security.
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From the Publisher

John Perkins

The riveting third edition of this New York Times bestselling title expands its focus to China, exposes corruption on an international scale, and offers much-needed solutions. Extensively updated, this edition features twelve new chapters, including a new introduction, preface, and study guide. The book brings the story of economic hit men (EHMs) up-to-date and focuses on China’s EHM strategy.

Touching the Jaguar
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, 3rd Edition
More from John Perkins Transforming Fear into Action to Change Your Life and the World Includes 12 explosive new chapters!
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John Perkins has written eleven books, including the first edition of Confessions of an Economic Hitman, which was on the New York Times bestseller list for more than seventy weeks and was translated into over thirty languages. As a former chief economist, he advised the World Bank, the United Nations, Fortune 500 corporations, and governments around the world.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

John Perkins started and stopped writing Confessions of an Economic Hit Man four times over 20 years. He says he was threatened and bribed in an effort to kill the project, but after 9/11 he finally decided to go through with this expose of his former professional life. Perkins, a former chief economist at Boston strategic-consulting firm Chas. T. Main, says he was an "economic hit man" for 10 years, helping U.S. intelligence agencies and multinationals cajole and blackmail foreign leaders into serving U.S. foreign policy and awarding lucrative contracts to American business. "Economic hit men (EHMs) are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars," Perkins writes. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is an extraordinary and gripping tale of intrigue and dark machinations. Think John Le Carré, except it's a true story.

Perkins writes that his economic projections cooked the books Enron-style to convince foreign governments to accept billions of dollars of loans from the World Bank and other institutions to build dams, airports, electric grids, and other infrastructure he knew they couldn't afford. The loans were given on condition that construction and engineering contracts went to U.S. companies. Often, the money would simply be transferred from one bank account in Washington, D.C., to another one in New York or San Francisco. The deals were smoothed over with bribes for foreign officials, but it was the taxpayers in the foreign countries who had to pay back the loans. When their governments couldn't do so, as was often the case, the U.S. or its henchmen at the World Bank or International Monetary Fund would step in and essentially place the country in trusteeship, dictating everything from its spending budget to security agreements and even its United Nations votes. It was, Perkins writes, a clever way for the U.S. to expand its "empire" at the expense of Third World citizens. While at times he seems a little overly focused on conspiracies, perhaps that's not surprising considering the life he's led. --Alex Roslin

Review

"A bombshell. One of those rare instances in which someone deeply entrenched in our governmental/corporate imperialist structure has come forward to reveal in unequivocal terms its inner workings. A work of great insight and moral courage."
—John E. Mack, Harvard professor and Pulitzer prize-winning author of A Prince of Our Disorder: The Life of T. E. Lawrence

“Perkins combines the brilliance and suspense of a Graham Greene thriller with the authority of his insider vantage point to tell a true, powerful, revealing, and bone chilling personal story that names names and connects the dots . . . ”
—David Korten, author of the bestselling When Corporations Rule the World

"A stunning and groundbreaking book that is a must-read for anyone who cares about our world.”
—Lynne Twist, Global Activist, author of the bestselling The Soul of Money

"… provocative and disturbing…. This book succeeds as a wake up call because the reader cannot help but assess his or her role on a personal level, thus providing an impetus for change.”
—R. Paul Shaw, former Lead Economist, currently Program Adviser, Human Development Group, World Bank Institute

“Must reading for those who know another world is possible!”
—Hazel Henderson, author of Beyond Globalization and Building a Win-Win World

" … a fascinating insider's view of how a private multinational company legally robs the poor of the third world, country after country.”
—Josh Mailman, cofounder, The Threshold Foundation, Social Venture Network, and Business for Social Responsibility

" With unflinching honesty, Perkins narrates his moral awakening and struggle to break free from the corrupt system of global domination he himself helped to create. This book … comes from the heart. I highly recommend it."
—Michael Brownstein, author of World on Fire

"A thrilling story. . . the true account of a deeply dedicated and courageous man…"
—Stephan Rechtschaffen, M.D., CEO, Omega Institute, and author of Timeshifting

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John Perkins
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John Perkins is the author of 12 books on global intrigue, economics, shamanism, and transformation, including "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man,” and "Touching the Jaguar." They have been on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 70 weeks, sold millions of copies, and are published in at least 38 languages. His latest, “Message from Pleiades,” is the story of a life-and-world-changing experience in an ancient Mayan city; it is his first novel (written under the pen name of J P Moody).

As chief economist at a major consulting firm, John advised the World Bank, UN, Fortune 500 corporations, US and other governments. He regularly speaks at universities and economic and environmental forums and is a founder of the Pachamama Alliance and Dream Change, non profit organizations that partner with indigenous people to protect environments and offer programs to change the destructive ways of industrial societies.