WOW: READ THIS BOOK *NOW* -- "Confessions of an Economic Hitman"

[crosvs]

Seriously, this book is a *MUST-READ* if you've got any curiosities whatsoever about trying to get some "behind-the-news" information on the true goings on in the world of the past 40 years or so.

A true story, first-person narrative of a man who was hired -- seduced?! -- by a large American firm to be an EHM -- Economic Hitman -- this story excels where all others have failed in that it cannot be criticized for being politically biased in one way or another: it is simply a matter of fact account for what happened, how, where, why, when, to whom, etc.

Anyway, give it a look, I think you'd be doing yourself a disservice to not read it. I'm only like 40 pgs into it and its impossible to put down ... and very humbling and ... depressing ... and ... scary.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/157...Fencoding=UTF8

--Marc

[crosvs]

*bump* -- honestly everyone, you *MUST* read this........

[statdoc]

OK, I am downloading it from Audible.com right now. It looks quite interesting.

Anybody know how true it really is? I mean, besides the guy who wrote it saying it is. Corroboration from some other source?

[LVR]

Ok, have read it whilst on a plane trip.......

Has mentioned a lot of names but no detail, and, it appears his involvement was mainly 20 years ago.

Lots of 'woe is me' angst about his guilt and repeats the same basic facts to flesh out the book.

HOWEVER....... I have to say his explanation of the close relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia certainly has the ring of truth about it, and how many times I have heard the name Halliburton getting big contracts in Iraq does not bear mentioning.

He certainly throws a new spin on the reason Noriega is the only foreign leader of any country captured on his own soil and inprisoned in the US.

I then stood in a transit lounge and was amazed at the sheer number of books about BUSH & HOUSE OF SAUD, Enron, Michael moore etc that support this book more than anything he has written.

I have to concede I viewed most of them as conspiracy nuts..

Me... I now tend to believe it... sad as it is.

[crosvs]

*sigh* i know ... scary, too

[drex]

http://www.xoutpost.com/lounge/13927-...ghlight=hitman

[Eric5273]

This definately is a great book. Everyone always wonders why most of the Latin American countries are in such bad economic shape today.

For all those who are too lazy to click the link, here is a good summary:

Perkins writes that his economic projections cooked the books Enron-style to convince foreign governments to accept billions of dollars of loans from the World Bank and other institutions to build dams, airports, electric grids, and other infrastructure he knew they couldn't afford. The loans were given on condition that construction and engineering contracts went to U.S. companies. Often, the money would simply be transferred from one bank account in Washington, D.C., to another one in New York or San Francisco. The deals were smoothed over with bribes for foreign officials, but it was the taxpayers in the foreign countries who had to pay back the loans. When their governments couldn't do so, as was often the case, the U.S. or its henchmen at the World Bank or International Monetary Fund would step in and essentially place the country in trusteeship, dictating everything from its spending budget to security agreements and even its United Nations votes. It was, Perkins writes, a clever way for the U.S. to expand its "empire" at the expense of Third World citizens.

[crosvs]

Eric-

Excellent summary.

[Eric5273]

I'll also add that countries that refused to cooperate were usually invaded and their leaders removed from power either through covert ops or by actual military invasion. Guatamala, Domincan Republic, Brazil, Chile, Panama, Grenada, and Bolivia are all examples of Latin American countries where this took place between 1950 and 1990. Around the world there are many more examples.

[LVR]

a little late on this one............

sorry, don't read every thread in the forum.

Perkins claims that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) recruited him to be an “economic hit man,” who deliberately entrapped foreign countries in unmanageable amounts of debt so they would be beholden to the United States. This appears to be a total fabrication. To the contrary, the U.S. government has led a recent initiative to cancel the debt of many heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC).

Interesting that the author of this review offers nothing to refute Perkins. Current events hardly mitigate Iraq/Iran, and I note HIPC's don't include the countries he names in his book.

That said, as I stated, the other books around offer more support than any information Perkins provides.

Cheers