The Secret History of the American Empire: The Truth About Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and How to Change the World (John Perkins Economic Hitman Series)

This Audio book was facinating and jaw dropping!....the information was very detailed from the author because he was there--all first hand stuff. This was the best history lesson I have ever experienced with real situations and names that explained a lot to me as to why the USA is often viewed poorly by people living outside the USA. If American citizens would watch less filtered US Media shows and start reading and or listening to audio books like this--we would have a MUCH better idea of the truth--of what underhanded agressive presence we have had in Asia, South America and in the Middle East and WHY!--and it isn't pretty! If leaders from around the world are listening (reading) this book (which they are).....this should be on the MUST read list of EVERY American interested in truth. John Perkins took a big risk in writing his 3 books--but his heart lead him to tell all! This is his middle book, I believe--all three are a must read as he not only "spills the beans" but he make good suggestions as to how we can clean them up for a better future!

In order to assess this new volume I have looked at notes on John Perkins' autobiography, "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man." I have read it, but needed a refresher course, and am appalled all over again at its contents.([...]) Perkins was recruited by the international consulting firm of Charles T. Main. He was an economist, with two primary objectives: justify huge loans for countries for huge engineering and construction projects to be carried out by American companies (think Haliburton, Bechtel et al.); after the companies had been paid, he was to help engineer the debtor's bankruptcy so that country would remain indebted to their creditors and remain pliable when the US wanted `favors' like military bases, access to natural resources, etc. Starting in Indonesia in 1971, a time when Indonesia was believed to be a key to Southeast Asian stability, he made economic forecasts that won him further projects. In 1972 it was Panama. Later, Saudi Arabia came under his spell, and a deal between it and the USA was consummated. With it came a relationship between the American government and the House of Saud, the bin Laden family, and the Bush family, to the immense financial benefit of the latter. His conscience bothered him since he felt that, by following Main's directives, he was causing much harm to the client states. Iran was his breaking point. As what Perkins called the "corporatocracy" supported the Shah, which led to class wars and hatred of the American companies, and the American government which it blamed for all its woes, especially the rampant corruption and despotic government. After the turn of the year in 1979, the Shah fled the country; less than a year later the American hostages in the Embassy were taken. He quit his job at Main in 1980. "The Secret History of the American Empire" is another product of his reflections on his past and the changes in his work life. He talks a lot about American influence in Latin America, and the rise of home grown opponents to the Unite States with respect. As I learned a long time ago, every one is said to have his price; United States employees were outstanding at saving skeletons from other's closets. In fact, after learning of the trap set for President Clinton, he has that information confirmed by a retired CIA officer. Not unsurprisingly, the chickens came home to America to roost. Our policies in the Middle East blew up in our faces. Those in the Middle East caught on to our lust for oil as we established the Shah of Iran, the House of Saud, the ruling families in Kuwait and Jordan, and a friendly dictator in Egypt, and we supported Israeli militarism. They named America and the West as the enemy as the mullahs gained force, al-Qaida grew, and radical politicians replaced moderate ones, exacerbated by the hero worship of the martyrdom of suicide bombers. Here are the roots of our current political crises internationally. Moving to the continent of Africa, Perkins addresses the problems we have inherited from the European colonial expansion. Again, once there was a crack in the system, America rushed in, knowing that it was time to expand its influence. The stories are fascinating, and appalling. A letter he cites at length tells the effects of westernization seen through the eyes of an educated young woman, employed by a NGO. She balances the good that NGOs appear to do against the western influences that attack the fiber of their civilization. In sum she concludes that the bad outweighs the good and calls for a total change of system. Finally, he outlines and discusses briefly the questions essential to making the change the world needs. There are things each and all of us can do, not only in the face of global warming, but also the inequalities we see around us, not only here in the Americas, but also world-wide. Furthermore, he talked to university students who had been told, and believed, that they were America's future. I was most deeply moved by the mission statement of two high school students from Seattle who had established Global; Awareness and Change [GAC]. Perkins reduced several lines of type into this: "We commit to creating a stable, sustainable, and peaceful world far all peoples everywhere." Would that we ll could commit to this. I really urge you to get and read this book and resolve to follow at least some of the suggestions at the end. Bear in mind that if you are not to be part of the problem, you must become part of the solution.

If our country manages to pull itself out it's current mess, I believe that John Perkins will deserve a lot of the credit. 'Confessions of an Economic Hit Man' seems to have given courage to so many who have been, and even still may be involved in international skulduggery, to come forward and offer information which helped him write this important and revealing must-read sequel. I believe these two books have also given inspiration to many other writers as well as courage to recent - and, I hope, future whisle blowers. I do recommend reading 'Confessions' first, if you haven't already read it. It is quick reading, exciting and informative and really sets the stage for a clear understanding and full appreciationof 'The Secret History of the American Empire'. In 'The Secret History' he also gives some important and thought provoking insights into the solution to our national/international problems and how we can do our bit, as individuals, to help.

The great value of this book by John Perkins as well as of his Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, is that, through a series of concrete and dramatic anecdotes, he gives us a feel for how our corporations (quite aptly called the "corporatocracy"), aided by "economic hit men" (IMF, World Bank, etc.),"jackals" (CIA), and the military, work to plunder the third world and working people in the first world to our material, cultural, and moral detriment. The part of this book I must question is the last section in which Perkins deals with what we can do to make things better. He evidently believes that capitalism is reformable without losing its character as capitalism. It is true that under capitalism some good reforms do take place, perhaps attenuated or watered down over time, and generally restricted in scope, and it is equally true that in spite of the usual insufficiency of many of these reforms, earnest pursuit of reform by our citizens is generally worthwhile, in fact essential if we are not to lapse into an unhappy impoverished brain-dead police state, for in the course of participating in a reform movement we gain much of the experience, knowledge, and skill we need to work collectively for the genuinely radical political, economic, cultural, moral, and spiritual change we must bring about if we are to save ourselves and the planet we live and have our being on.. Many of the reform movements now under way are often subverted or derailed by agents of the corporatocracy in all three branches of our government as well as in our principal media, in our churches and fraternal organizations, and in our educational systems. Agents of the corporatocracy spend many millions in a form of lobbying that amounts to bribing, more millions in propaganda, propaganda usually quite effective, stoking and playing on fear or anger, increasing the ability of the corporatocracy to manipulate public opinion. The corporatocracy and their agents are good at giving the impression of supporting a reform with only some "minor" modifications, going so far at times as to advocate "red herring" reforms to distract us from what is really needed, and to make sure that whatever executive agencies are involved in instituting or managing a good reform shall be understaffed, incompetent, untransparent, and/or underfunded. While competition among individual capitalists for markets often leads to efficiency and publicly beneficial outcomes, the long-term result of unfettered competition is the formation of monopolies and combinations of monopolies that lead to the ruthless and destructive exploitation of people, resources, and environments. On an international level, acting as more or less national blocs through their governments, these combinations form the economic bases of their respective governments. A ruthless competition among these governments, now imperial powers, develops in competition for markets, for cheap labor, and for cheap raw materials that leads inevitably to fascism and world war, a massive destruction of capital values, and a repeat of the same dreary boom-and-bust cycle-- or, if the masses are properly won over and organized, leads to revolution. Both scenarios are frightful, but one, if acted out in history, promises a better future for humanity and the earth. Still, one may ask: Is there another choice? The immediate future, if the two scenarios I describe are the only realistic options, is not pretty. One must think through these matters. Perkins' books should definitely be included among your study materials.

After a life of `robbing from the poor and giving to the rich' as an economic hit man, thereby pocketing his commissions, John Perkins became an environment activist and a militant for change in the policies of the corporatocracy. Corporatocracy The author delivers in this book many well directed punches into the face of his former employers, transnational companies which act as imperial dictatorships in the global economy. Together with their long arms (controlled or corrupt governments, the IMF, the World Bank, the WTO, intelligence services, infiltrated or outright controlled NGOs and the military) the corporations are building an empire for the wealthy few. Behind the rhetoric of `free trade', `free markets` and `free choice' the author discovers disinformation, corruption, oligopolies and market and export protection. This empire claims to defend democracy, but ousts or assassinates democratically elected presidents like P. Lumumba, S. Allende, O. Torrijos, D. Roldós). The corporations profit heavily from the empire's War Machine (a trillion dollar business) which invents its own enemies. After the fall of the Berlin Wall Islamic revolutionaries took the place of the Communists in order to justify bulging military budgets. A few examples In Nigeria, the great writer, Ken Saro-Wiwa was hanged for opposing environmental havoc in the territories of the Ogoni people. In Diego Garcia the entire population was forced out of their country without compensation in order to build a military base. In East-Timor, the slaughtering of the population by Indonesian troops was approved by the US government. In Columbia, the drug war is a subterfuge for protecting oil interests. Change If the many want to change the world, they must force change on the corporations. The latter are vulnerable because they need us as clients and consumers. We should impose on them policies of ecological sustainability and social responsibility. Governments should be elected by `real' democracy. The ultimate goal of all policies should be `a stable, sustainable and peaceful world for everybody.' Although this book is sometimes too anecdotic, it is a must read for all those who want to understand the world we live in.

This book is a gem.It is written not by a researcher peeking in and trying to figure it out but by an insider...one who was long-term involved and knows exactly what is going on and after much soul searching and being threatened and bribed not to did the right thing and is revealing all.And all is quite mind blowing.Our American empire is built on the tears of the countries around the world that it has systematically looted and continues to oppress with unscrupulous and brutal methods...This book very clearly reveals the inner workings of what the censored and muzzled mass media would never do...It reveals what and how the American empire has looted it's client states throughout the planet and continues to do so in such a way that few see just how devious and brutal this empire is beneath the benevolent rhetoric....Eye opening and informative..

more than interesting read. finally someone who was in the system telling the rest of us about how it was done. (for those who were or are wondering why all those resource rich countries are so poor and also why things in our own country are getting worse) warning, you might be stunned into silence at the magnitude at what has been and is happening. how did i not know about this book earlier? thank you for writing it, even after all the damage done. i know that this is not a proper "review' - but one thing for sure, this book will have an impact (if you read it)

Only three stars because I don't find him to be a particularly good writer.....but the content is 'SO IMPORTANT'.....it's a great review of some 'slimy' US history....questionable US military and CIA decisions and the geo-political quagmires we continually find ourselves in. Corporations need 'scruples' and we as U.S. Citizens need to demand that they become more transparent. I am a pilot with American Airlines and also read "Retirement Heist" after retirement was taken away from us......I Also recommend that book as a supplement to John Perkins books because both talk about core issues that effect ALL of us everyday. Does 'K' Street run this country? And do Corporations run world economics?