John Perkins, now an author, is a former ‘economic hitman’ (EHM) who wrote about his dark career in his explosive memoir, Confessions of an Economic Hitman.
Basically, he would convince governments of developing countries to take on massive loans that would leave them shackled to US government and corporate interests. These debts gave Americans the power to control those countries’ politics and economies from behind the scenes.
“I was on the forefront of this and played a role in its transformation, from old-fashioned imperialism—where countries directly occupied other nations—to this new form of empire-building that is accomplished primarily through economic manipulation, cheating, fraud, and the seduction of wealth.”
—John Perkins
John’s work took him around the world, from Indonesia to Latin America.
In Indonesia, for example, he helped justify large loans by presenting skewed economic forecasts. These projects, which were supposed to lift countries out of poverty, often led to economic dependency and social unrest.
For clarity, the huge loans that John facilitated came primarily from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The projects would end up benefiting American companies, like engineering firms, but the host country would be left with crippling debt it could never repay. So, while infrastructural development did occur, it came at a stupidly high cost.
Debt slavery, in other words.
In his book, John describes how leaders who resisted American control often faced severe consequences. In Panama, for example, Manuel Noriega, who initially cooperated, became a target when he refused to play along. His downfall was engineered through economic and political pressure, and eventually, military intervention.
“The system we helped to build has driven entire countries into bankruptcy, shattered the lives of millions, and created an economic empire built on fear, greed, and deception.”
—John Perkins
John also recounts the mysterious deaths of leaders like Ecuador’s Jaime Roldós, who stood against American bullying. Can you guess what happened to him? It just so happened that he died in a plane crash.
Total coincidence.
Globalisation isn’t all good
⚠️ I need to quickly distinguish between globalism and globalisation.
Globalism is an ideological, geopolitical, and economic attempt to centralise the world under one-world governance (Agenda 2030). Globalism is not your friend.
Globalisation, on the other hand, is the interconnectivity of the world through travel, business, the internet, and so on. It is neither good nor bad, but simply a result of technological progress. Like a sword, it can be double-edged.
Through his work, John witnessed firsthand how globalisation was used as a tool for empire-building rather than mutual prosperity.
The projects he was involved in prioritised the interests of multinational corporations over the well-being of local populations and their environments.
Put another way, the pursuit of profit and power can devastate countries and their people, nature, tradition, and pretty much everything.
“The real world of international affairs is largely controlled behind the scenes by economic hitmen, who use various tools of power, including debt, to manipulate and control governments.”
—Noam Chomsky
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