Bob
Chapman, The International Forecaster,
and Chris Waltzek answer listener questions.
2nd
Hour:
-
John Perkins
Economic
Hit Man -
John Perkins has lived four lives: as an economic
hit man (EHM); as the CEO of a successful alternative
energy company, who was rewarded for not disclosing
his EHM past; as an expert on indigenous cultures
and shamanism, a teacher and writer who used this
expertise to promote ecology and sustainability
while continuing to honor his vow of silence about
his life as an EHM; and as a writer who, in telling
the real-life story about his extraordinary dealings
as an EHM, has exposed the world of international
intrigue and corruption that is turning the American
republic into a global empire despised by increasing
numbers of people around the planet.
As
an EHM, John’s job was to convince Third
World countries to accept enormous loans for infrastructure
development—loans that were much larger than
needed—and to guarantee that the development
projects were contracted to U.S. corporations
like Halliburton and Bechtel. Once these countries
were saddled with huge debts, the U.S. government
and the international aid agencies allied with
it were able to control these economies and to
ensure that oil and other resources were channeled
to serve the interests of building a global empire.
In
his EHM capacity, John traveled all over the world—to
Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle
East—and was either a direct participant
in or witness to some of the most dramatic events
in modern history, including the Saudi Arabian
Money-laundering Affair, the fall of the Shah
of Iran, the assassination of Panama’s President
Omar Torrijos, the subsequent invasion of Panama,
and events leading up to the 2003 invasion of
Iraq.
In
1980 Perkins founded Independent Power Systems,
Inc (IPS), an alternative energy company. Under
his leadership as CEO, IPS became an extremely
successful firm in a high-risk business where
most of his competitors failed. Many “coincidences”
and favors from people in powerful positions helped
make IPS an industry leader. John also served
as a highly paid consultant to some of the corporations
whose pockets he had previously helped to line—taking
on this role partly in response to a series of
not-so-veiled threats and lucrative payoffs.
After
selling IPS in 1990, John became a champion for
indigenous rights and environmental movements,
working especially closely with Amazon tribes
to help them preserve their rain forests. He wrote
five books, published in many languages, about
indigenous cultures, shamanism, ecology, and sustainability;
taught at universities and learning centers on
four continents; and founded and served on the
board of directors of several leading nonprofit
organizations.
One
of the nonprofit organizations he founded and
chaired, Dream Change Coalition (later simply
Dream Change, or DC), became a model for inspiring
people to attain their personal goals and, at
the same time, to be more conscious of the impacts
their lives have on others and on the planet,
and for empowering them to transform their communities
into more balanced and sustainable ones. DC has
developed a following around the world and has
empowered people to create organizations with
similar missions in many countries.
The
runaway bestseller that has generated a major
movie deal — and an international dialogue
— with over 170,000 copies sold in hardcover
and seven weeks on the New York Times list
Economic hit men, John Perkins writes, are highly
paid professionals who cheat countries around
the globe out of trillions of dollars. Their tools
include fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections,
payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder. They play
a game as old as Empire but one that has taken
on terrifying dimensions during this time of globalization.
John
Perkins should know — he was an economic
hit man for an international consulting firm that
worked to convince developing countries to accept
enormous loans and to funnel that money to U.S.corporations.
Once these countries were saddled with huge debts,
the American government and international aid
agencies were able to request their pound of flesh
in favors, including access to natural resources,
military cooperation, and political support.
Confessions
of an Economic Hit Man is the story of one man's
experiences inside the intrigue, greed, corruption
and little-known government and corporate activities
that America has been involved in since World
War II, and which have dire consequences for the
future of democracy and the world.
Saturday,
June
16: 
