The Secret History Of The American Empire: The Truth About Economic Hit Men, Jackals, And How To Change The World Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
From the author of the "New York Times" bestseller "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" comes an expos of international corruption. Perkins suggests how Americans can work to create a more peaceful and stable world for future generations.
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Plume; Reprint edition (April 29, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0452289572
ISBN-13: 978-0452289574
Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.8 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (164 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #19,502 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #25 in Books > Business & Money > International > Economics #59 in Books > Business & Money > Biography & History > Economic History #71 in Books > Business & Money > Biography & History > Company Profiles
"The Secret History's" Prologue provides an outstanding summary of the dark side of American generosity as exemplified by the World Bank's actions. The U.S. holds veto power over major World Bank decisions, and its president is appointed by the U.S. president. Perkins asserts that the World Bank's mission quickly became synonymous with proving the capitalist system superior to communism, and to further this role, its employees cultivated cozy relationships with multi-national corporations. This opened the door for economic hit men (EHM) to channel funds from the Bank into schemes appearing to serve the poor while primarily benefiting a few wealthy people.In the most common scheme, staffers would identify a developing country possessing resources our corporations desired (eg. oil), arrange a huge loan for it, and then direct most of the money to our own corporations and a few collaborators. Infrastructure projects (eg. power plants, airports, industrial parks) would then spring up - however, they seldom helped the poor, and the nation was unable to be able to repay the loan about 50-60% of the time. The EHM could then demand eg. cheap oil, U.N. votes on key issues, and/or troops for eg. Iraq.Perkins substantiates his "American Empire" label by asserting that the U.S. is run by a big group who collectively act much like a king. They run our largest corporations, and through them, our government. They cycle through the "revolving door" back and forth between businesses and government, fund political campaigns and the media - resulting in a great deal of control over elected officials and the information we receive, regardless of who is elected.National disasters, like wars and aid projects, are highly profitable for big businesses.
As a fifty-five year old man, my own history runs from a youthful idealism born in the frenetic 60's to a current disillusionment derived in part from a Supreme Court coup, a piecemeal destruction of the Constitution and a criminal Executive Branch that creates its own laws and ignores legislated ones.When I read "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" a year ago, the questions we all have about how the world got to this point in history suddenly became much clearer.From a first-person perspective, Perkins exposed the seedy underbelly of the economic giant called the United States.As Americans we've gotten used to angry epithets being thrown at us from around the world; by "dirty commies", by "tinhorn" South American dictators, by various types of anarchists and by "ignorant" peasants.And the chant they repeated most often over the years was that the US was an IMPERIALIST nation.The asbsurdity of this accusation was enough to make make most Americans ignore whatever else these people might have been trying to communicate to us.But after reading this new Perkins book about the seriously evil deeds our national government and closely allied corporations have been up to for the last sixty years, we are forced to conclude that Empire is perhaps the kindest way to describe "unofficial" American foreign policy since World War II.Perhaps the most intriguing section of his book--and most pertinent to today's most unsettling issues--is his discussion of the the Mideast's modern history as planned and executed by the major Western powers.
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