Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
While the author clearly has a bit of an axe to grind and the need to assuage some guilt, that doesn’t mean he’s making the story up.
His basic thesis is that US foreign policy is designed to identify areas of the world where influence is needed, convince those countries through manipulated data to accept loans which can never be repaid, thereby indebting the country forever…where payback comes in non-economic form.
It’s humbling and if it’s true, it’s a bit demoralizing because it destroys the perception of America as a country that seeks to bring democracy, freedom, and prosperity to others around the world. According to John Perkins, it’s not about them, it’s only about us.
While the book probably could have been 20% shorter and was short on “ok, what do we do now?” it certainly was a compelling story.
What he failed to mention, however, is the theory of alternative universe. It’s easy to be critical of the US in a vacuum, but I don’t think the words “Soviet Union” appeared all that much, if at all.
Regardless, I’ll accept this was his life and it was true. It sheds some light on US behavior and will make you think. I won’t accept that there aren’t other factors at play, but certainly the images he paints of how our actions in the US inadvertently (or otherwise) have a dramatic effect on others can’t be minimized.
Of course, we’re all at fault. It’s like drugs and oil, if there weren’t US-based demand, many of the problems wouldn’t exist, but that’s a topic for another post.
Call out to Josh Halpern for the suggestion of the book.
Image by fmc.nikon.d40 via Flickr
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