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

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Overview

In his stunning memoir, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, John Perkins detailed his former role as an "economic hit man" in the international corporate skullduggery of a de facto American Empire. This riveting, behind-the-scenes expose unfolded like a cinematic blockbuster told through the eyes of a man who once helped shape that empire. Now, in The Secret History of the American Empire, Perkins zeroes in on hot spots around the world and, drawing on interviews with other hit men, jackals, reporters, and activists, examines the current geopolitical crisis. Instability is the norm: It’s clear that the world we’ve created is dangerous and no longer sustainable. How did we get here? Who’s responsible? What good have we ...
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More About This Book

Overview

In his stunning memoir, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, John Perkins detailed his former role as an "economic hit man" in the international corporate skullduggery of a de facto American Empire. This riveting, behind-the-scenes expose unfolded like a cinematic blockbuster told through the eyes of a man who once helped shape that empire. Now, in The Secret History of the American Empire, Perkins zeroes in on hot spots around the world and, drawing on interviews with other hit men, jackals, reporters, and activists, examines the current geopolitical crisis. Instability is the norm: It’s clear that the world we’ve created is dangerous and no longer sustainable. How did we get here? Who’s responsible? What good have we done and at what cost? And what can we do to change things for the next generations? Addressing these questions and more, Perkins reveals the secret history behind the events that have created the American Empire, including:

-The current Latin-American revolution and its lessons for democracy
-How the "defeats" in Vietnam and Iraq benefited big business
-The role of Israel as "Fortress America" in the Middle East
-Tragic repercussions of the IMF’s "Asian Economic Collapse"
-U.S. blunders in Tibet, Congo, Lebanon, and Venezuela
-Jackal (CIA operatives) forays to assassinate democratic presidents


From the U.S. military in Iraq to infrastructure development in Indonesia, from Peace Corps volunteers in Africa to jackals in Venezuela, Perkins exposes a conspiracy of corruption that has fueled instability and anti-Americanism around the globe. Alarming yet hopeful, this book provides a compassionate plan to reimagine our world.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Having made a splash with Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, Perkins offers similarly entertaining but disturbing accounts of the American government wreaking havoc around the world in support of American business. In Perkins's view, American presidents willingly comply with their CEO masters, distributing foreign aid to corrupt Third World leaders who keep a share and return the rest to U.S. business for major projects, leaving their nations poor and massively in debt, and requiring more loans and slavish obedience to U.S. policy. If any leader objects, the CIA destabilizes his government, by assassination if necessary. Gathering evidence is not Perkins's strong suit. Typically, a shadowy figure pulls him aside, insists on anonymity, then reveals all. Critics will rightfully accuse Perkins of dreadful journalism and a taste for conspiracy theories. Yet economists admit that loans and "expert advice" to poor nations are often harmful. Few deny that America has ruthlessly undermined uncooperative governments and supported dictators including Saddam Hussein. Perkins's assertions that the U.S. assassinated Ecuador's reformist president and connived at genocide in Timor and Sudan are not absurd, merely unproven. This book's greatest value may be to encourage a competent journalist to cover the same ground. (June 5)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
Library Journal

In his 2004 Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, Perkins revealed his role in the 1970s and 1980s in what he described as the ruthlessness with which the United States used economic manipulation and political coercion to extend its power and control over other nations. His job included convincing underdeveloped countries to accept enormous loans for infrastructure development and to make sure that the development projects were contracted to U.S. multinationals. Building on this work's notoriety, Perkins now offers similarly troubling descriptions of his view of how the American government is wreaking havoc around the world in support of American business. Drawing on many interviews with unnamed economic hit men, jackals, CIA operatives, reporters, and activists, the author explores the conditions in world hot spots as he presents his perspective on the "geopolitical crisis." While his effort to delve into the "secret history" that explains why the world is now dangerous and no longer sustainable, who is responsible for the current problems, and what can be done to change things for the better for the next generations is admirable, his lack of cited sources and his broad-brushed approach results in material that may appeal more to those with a taste for conspiracy theories. Serious students, researchers, and journalists will want to use reliable academic political science, business, and economics journals to follow these issues. Thankfully, the author's weak, breaking voice narrates only the introduction, while the remainder of the material is solidly presented by Jonathan Davis. Recommended only for university libraries.
—Dale Farris

More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Perkins follows up the bestselling Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (2004) with a still repentant but now broader view of the unconscionable plundering of the planet and endangerment of its future by the "corporatocracy."That is, powerful, usually American-based corporations in concert with politicians. These unchecked organizations, avers the author, tend to work through the U.S.-dominated World Bank and International Monetary Fund, which extend credit to needy nations. There, graft is siphoned off by co-opted local officials, and benefits accrue to corporate contractors of massive projects while downtrodden economies in the long run acquire only debt. Perkins takes on every variation of the corruption model, from keeping labor costs down among sweatshop producers of consumer goods craved by U.S. consumers to maintaining affordable petroleum for the nation that swills a disproportionate portion of the world's supply and generates commensurate climate-threatening pollution. Unfortunately, current events put the author's case in sharper focus than he does. Headlines fresh from the Iraq misadventure, for example, affirm the notion that America doesn't need to win its wars in order for fat-cat companies with no-bid contracts to reap huge profits from them. And the CIA that Perkins pictures once sending "jackal" minions to eliminate South American heads of state at the flick of a conspiratorial finger seems almost preferable to the one that was unable to get a clue on Saddam's WMD situation. Perkins may indeed be "wracked with guilt" (as he chooses perhaps too often to remind readers), but so much undocumented, rehashed innuendo from someone acknowledging a former career in distorting factsdoes not make for compelling penitence. Anecdotal inside info on the dirty deeds of the military-industrial complex, replete with sermons on resisting and changing it.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780525950158
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
  • Publication date: 6/5/2007
  • Pages: 384
  • Product dimensions: 6.30 (w) x 8.90 (h) x 1.40 (d)

Meet the Author

John Perkins is the author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, a startling exposé of international corruption that spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list. He is a founder and chairman of Dream Change, a nonprofit organization devoted to raising consciousness and creating a stable, sustainable, and peaceful world for future generations. Perkins has lectured and taught at universities on four continents including Wharton, Princeton, and Harvard, and is a champion for environmental and social causes.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
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  • Posted December 6, 2011

    A 5 star read--a must for anyone who wonders what is really going on with our government, corporations, World Banks, the IMF and Politics!

    I have always been curious about why things "happen" or "work" the way they do, against the working class, against the poor, no good health plan for the citizens of the United States et al! John Perkins blows the whistle on the behind the scenes actions taken by the U.S. Govertment, the collusion between the World Bank, the IMF and the Corporations, institutions the U.S. Govt works with behind the scenes--the corporation names used for the U.S. Govt to launder "drug money from Columbia, the Corporations that train the Economic Hit Man types---the third world countries that have lost their democratically elected presidents because of U.S. Jackals ordered to take them "out" due to their lack of cooporation with the U.S. Govt! Any questions you might have could all be answered by reading this Volume by John Perkins. I give it the highest rating as I believe he has risked his life to inform the public on the matters he discusses in this book, along with the others he has written! This information should not be ignored--we all need to know what he discusses has happened and is happening now within our Government and in collusion with Corporations that are in the top 1%, while most of the rest of us are just trying to maintain a "survival" existence!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted August 17, 2010

    The dream of living in a sustainable world with peace and social/economic/environmental justice is possible. "The Secret History of the American Empire" guides us toward such a possibility where in the future, there will be no more empire

    John Perkins wrote Confessions of an Economic Hit Man several years ago then followed that up with "The Secret History of the American Empire.

    Perkins is an insider that took part in some of the most manipulative and evil events of the 20th and 21st century. When the public believe that our tax dollars were spent to help the developing world, Perkins debunks that understanding by telling the story of how he and others in corporate America undermined democracy by bribing or killing heads of state that would not play along with the corporations that cared nothing about the worlds poor and environmental destruction, but rather manipulated countries into financial disaster so the USA would be able to create a global empire that benefited only the very few extremely rich Americans.

    Perkins books along with Chalmers Johnsons latest three books are important reading for those that want to know the truth about the dark side of corporate America and what we can do about reforming America in a 2nd US Revolution of a Dr. MLK nonviolent approach.

    These books represent the most inspiring and hopeful comments of our time.

    Perkins does not believe that corporations have a choice to help solve the worlds problems or continue on their destructive path. It is more about the culture of corporations that must be reformed to create this sustainable future.

    Those few that that make the big bucks and pull the strings of government and the media will not like this book.

    Those insider technocrats that agree with Perkins will love this book and we can expect more whistle blowing as a result.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 15, 2010

    Eye Opener

    This book sheds light on how truly corrupt our government and corporations are.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 18, 2010

    Information you won't find on nightly news.

    This is a great book which tells the truth about US meddling in the affairs of other countries for the last several decades. From the CIA engineered coup in Iran in the 1950's, through the backing of ruthless dictatorships like the one in Chile under Pinochet, the author discusses how the power of the US government, military and intelligence services are utilized to the benefit of the "corporatocracy" - the corporate interests that profit from underhanded US dealings in countries around the world. The author has intimate knowledge of these practices as he was an "economic hit man" for many years, using the various tactics of economic intimidation (with US government and CIA backing)that allow multinational corporations to exploit the resources of other weaker countries for their own profit and benefit, while leaving those nations in massive debt and perpetual poverty.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 14, 2008

    A must read

    This is a true account of how our goverment takes adavantage of under developed countries in their early developing stages to gain economic advantages and future political obligations. We provide electricity, water and infrastructure, to poor oil rich countries.This allows us to gain access to future control of their economies,values,assets and political obligations.We destroy the old cultures and traditions in the name of US democracy. The World Bank 'actually US corporation owned' loans the poor countries money, charging large amounts of interest payments they can not every repay. This is when we 'USA' takes over the country from politically to militarliy. John Perkins leaned his trade from the little know supper secret intellegence agency, NSA. The National Security Agency controls the intel on all under developed and weak countries ready to be 'helped' by the World Bank. 'controlled by the NSA and selected member US corporations.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted July 24, 2008

    Read it

    Read it and start to live your life to make it easier for others to live thiers.

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