Confessions Of An Economic Hitman

After years spent undermining the economies of developing nations, bringing them under control of history’s most subtle and most global empire, self-described economic hitman John Perkins blew the whistle in 2004. Though studiously ignored by the mainstream media, his Confessions… found a massive audience; it spent some time in the New York Times’ bestseller list without that paper ever having reviewed it.

In this address (52 mins + 16 mins Q&A) to the activist group Veterans For Peace (h/t Opinionated Indian), Perkins explains the methodology of what he calls Imperial Corporatocracy and how it has dominated the history of the last 60 years.

Part One…

… where Perkins explains how debt is used as a tool of empire, and looks at the last three decades in the Middle East. The oil embargo of the early 1970s was followed by an intense colonisation of Saudi Arabia; it took some time longer to get there in Iraq.

Part Two…

… on the decades of repression of South America, and the recent continent-wide popular uprising against the Corporatocracy. Also, Perkins’ call for activism against corporate excesses.

Q & A …

…where Perkins gets a bit out of his depth. He misrepresents Corporate Law in particular, and draws conclusions on Peak Oil and on the nature of Capitalism that I can’t really support. Still, the flaws in this analysis don’t come close to detracting from his insight into neocolonialism.