The Confessions of an Economic Hit Man - John Perkins

By  2004-2005, the topic of International Conspiracies had gained some currency in Sri Lanka more than ever ( By today, it has become somewhat a joke, due to the over use of the word ).  I think this book was published around 2004-2005, and gained popularity almost immediately, due to the prevalent political climate in the country - so much so, it was translated. I bought my copy in 2007, December, but never got down to reading it. Until, the other day, a fellow reader here, our friend Yasoda, was kind enough to share its audio version. Then, I finally got to "read" (listen) it. What a book it was - that is, amidst its terrifying revelations, some rather strange co-incidences but most of all for the overall political truth it carries.

Summary of what the book exposes:
The book broadly is broken into four parts - Part One tells us how John Perkins became an Economic Hit man (EHM) - how the puritanical attitudes contributed to make him look out for adventure and enjoyment when he could, and how whatever flaws he had was instrumental in the authorities selecting him for the role. His  "Training" happens in Indonesia, and some of the incidents which are described therein are prophetic to what happens decades later. The main area being focused here is how projects funded by the US or its lending agencies, are severely oversized, resulting in the receiving countries being indebted for decades. The book moves into part two, half way through Perkins' stay in Indonesia. One of the insights, that is revealed in these sections is that the next wars will be fought between the Christian world and the Moslem world - this prediction was made by Arthur Toynbee, back in 1948 and 1953 ( Civilization on Trial and The World and the West ), respectively. In these pages, another important question is coined:

"if the objective of foreign aid is imperialism, is that so wrong? I often found myself envying people like Charlie who believed so strongly in our system that they wanted to force it on the rest of the world . I doubted whether limited resources would allow the whole world to live the opulent life of the United States, when even the United States had millions of citizens living in poverty. In addition, it wasn't entirely clear to me that people in other nations actually want to live like us. Our own statistics about violence, depression, drug abuse, divorce, and crime indicated that although ours was one of the wealthiest societies in history, it may also be one of the least happy societies. Why would we want others to emulate us ?" ( page 48)

He then has an assignment in Panama and this was during the tenure of the  highly regarded General Omar Torrijos. In Panama, Perkins has first hand experience on how the Americans treat the Panamanians in their own land. Our EHM has a chance to discuss with Torrijos, and this is what he requests:

"I understand that your company wants more work and usually gets it by inflating the size of projects—wider highways, bigger power plants, deeper harbors . This time is different, though . Give me what's best for my people, and I'll give you all the work you want." ( pages 74-75)

This fair demand, Perkins tells us is not acceptable to the US, although Perkins goes out of his way to make things work as per Torrijos' expectation. Yet the dispute over the Panamanian canal, is a matter that simply couldn't be solved.

How did the U.S.A. become involved in Saudi Arabia, and with what intentions ? Saudi Arabia's history is explored from the point when Mohammed ibn Saud joined hands with the fundamentalists of the ultraconservative Wahhabi sect. The country has since then been under the house of Saud, and after the oil embargo of '73-'74, Washington started negotiations with the Saudis, "offering them technical support, military hardware and training, and an opportunity to bring their nation into the twentieth century, in exchange for petrodollars and, most importantly, assurances that there would never again be another oil embargo." (page 83)
The succeeding chapters speak of many similar stories.
4. The US's continuous role in Iran which finally resulted in that country falling into the hands of the religious fundamentalists. How the U.S. embassy crises put the final nail in the coffin of the presidency of Jimmy Carter - one president who took a different view point of the U.S,. in a global context, and paved way for the total opposite by bringing in Ronald Reagan. Reagan was succeeded by Bush, and one couldn't possibly ask for a worse successor, in the context of global peace.

5. How Presidents, Jaime Roldos of Ecaudor and Omar Torrijos of Panama died one after another in mysterious plane crashes. At the time of Torrijo's death, Graham Greene was writing his book on Torrijos, titled "Getting to know the General", and this is what he said:

" In August 1981, my bag was packed for my fifth visit to Panama when the news came to me over the telephone of the death of General Omar Torrijos Herrera, my friend and host. The small plane in which he was flying to a house which he owned at Coclesito in the mountains of Panama had crashed, and there were no survivors . A few days later the voice of his security guard, Sergeant Chuchu, alias Jose de Jesus Martinez, ex-professor of Marxist philosophy at Panama University, professor of mathematics and a poet, told me, "There was a bomb in that plane. I know there was a bomb in the plane, but I can't tell you why over the telephone ." ( page 159). Not stopping there, Torrijo's successor, Noreiga was captured and kept a prisoner in U.S. soil after invading Panama in 1989, upon the transition of power from Reagan to George W. Bush.

6. How Saddam Hussain ( tyrant, he was), didn't buy the face wash meted out by the EHMs, but played into the hands of GWB, by invading Kuwait. Bush reacted by military action, and this is how Perkins writes about the incident.

"However, by the late 1980s it was apparent that Saddam was not buying into the EHM scenario . This was a major frustration and a great embarrassment to the first Bush administration . Like Panama, Iraq contributed to George H . W. Bush's wimp image. As Bush searched for a way out, Saddam played into his hands . In August 1990, he invaded the oil-rich sheikhdom of Kuwait. Bush responded with a denunciation of Saddam for violating international law, even though it had been less than a year since Bush himself had staged the illegal and unilateral invasion of Panama." (page 184)

7. By 2011, Perkins has moved on from his previous role to a different one - one that saw him leading expeditions into the Ecuadorian Amazon ( his gradual distancing, and leaving his role is in detail here ). He visits Ground Zero, after the attack, and spends some time in contemplation:
"I forced my attention back to Ground Zero . At the moment, one thing was certain : my country was thinking about revenge, and it was focusing on countries like Afghanistan . But I was thinking about all the other places in the world where people hate our companies, our military, our policies, and our march toward global empire. I wondered, What about Panama, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iran , Guatemala, most of Africa?" ( page 195)

The Gist of the message: If one is to look at the overall idea that Perkins questions here, it is the overall attitude of the U.S. and how it uses several ways to subjugate the other countries to bow down to their interests. For money starved lesser developed countries, it used its lending agencies to over size development project proposals, creating avenues for the aid promised to those countries to go back to the US. In oil rich countries, the ruling class was influenced and offered a semblance of security, with the ultimate goal of all Petro Dollars going back to the US. Where leaders weren't willing to compromise their country's benefit for their own, more often than not they came to a sad end under tragic circumstances. While I've heard the occasional staunch U.S. supporter, even among us Sri Lankans ( who doesn't benefit anyhow from the US ) claim that it cannot be helped as they are the sole global super power - a free license if you will - the more reasonable types would concede that although the world as a large knows this, they can only turn a blind eye.

My reading is that those who opposed the US's actions, were brave men, yet flawed men. For, the level of flaws is relative. A friend of mine well versed in politics said that if Rajapakse hadn't lost the last election, it was a matter of time that he'd be taken out of the equation anyways. Only the most gullible would believe that the U.S. of A. wanted a regime change here, to rid the corruption that was purportedly happening during then.

The Criticisms: I think I've already inferred some of the failings when writing the summary above, but some of the incidents herein sound too far well written to the script. My feeling was that at times the author may have tried to convince the reader a tad too much, but the conscious reader can detect such instances. This in no way challenges the credibility of the narration as a whole.

Imperialism is nothing new to our world. To us, the current one is the one that we feel most since it is contemporary, and of course at their disposal are a wealth of resources, unmatched in the past. Imperialism shifts, and if the signs are anything to go by, China may take over the hat in years to come. While their overall philosophy may have something to do with how they go out their business, it is difficult to believe that they'd be remarkably humane than the Yankees, if and when it happens.

In conclusion I don't hesitate state this is a must read. In fact I do hope that at least a handful of people read this book, so that we can indulge in a dialogue of the historical episodes that this book throws light upon.