Confessions Of An Economic Hit Man, John Perkins. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2004. 250 pages.

ISBN 978 1576753019. By Angela Hessler I was reluctant to read Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. It was summer 2006 and I had just left a teaching career to work at an oil company, something I never thought I would do. I was excited about the access to amazing technology and data, and about getting an inside view of the industry at a watershed moment. However, justifying the bigger meaning of my new job was difficult. Reading Confessions might just make me feel guilty. But I brought the book along on my first business trip. I think we can all see a bit of ourselves in Perkins story: the comfortable selfishness of his career, the total awareness with which he behaves unethically, and the delay in making difficult amends. What initially makes the rest of us feel better is that we, unlike Perkins, arent in a career that manipulates third-world countries into ruining themselves. But ultimately this book reminds us that Perkins is not much different than his typical reader we are curious, driven, desiring of respect and status -- and that we should beware of our own susceptibility to greed and power, and what it might lead us to do. John Perkins Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is a riveting, first-hand account of how global-scale corruption can be manipulated by a single civilian just like you or me. It is a truly remarkable revelation and not in that it details the unethical behavior of U.S. corporations in third-world countries, but that that behavior is repeatedly justified by the American belief in one concept: that all economic growth benefits humankind. Were a rare breed, in a dirty business Economic hit men jokingly refer to themselves as such. They work in both the private and public sectors. Their spouses have no idea what they do. As Perkins early mentor put it, Its a dirty business Were paid well paid to cheat countries around the globe out of billions of dollarsIn the end, those leaders become ensnared in a web of debt that ensures their loyalty. Lords of the manor Perkins was not born into his career as an EHM. His parents were modestly-paid teachers at an exclusive boarding school in Vermont, and Perkins grew up with the lowly peasants his parents joked about, the townies down the hill. Despite his parents affection for the elite, he had a natural resentment toward it. However, he ultimately channeled that resentment in a curious direction: to excel academically and become wealthy. He sought to devalue the elite by beating them to their own self-serving finish line. Several coincidences ultimately brought his vulnerable, status-seeking soul to the EHM world one, a two-year stint in the Peace Corps, the perfect EHM training ground.

The International Journal of Conflict & Reconciliation Fall 2011, Volume 1 Number 1

Once youre in, youre in for life At age 26 Perkins was indoctrinated by a cold, brilliant, beautiful woman named Claudine. She gave him three weeks to decide if EHM work would suit him. The decision is final, she told him. Once youre in, youre in for life. Within a year he was meeting with the president of Panama, Omar Torrijos, and Robert McNamara, then the present of World Bank. Among many incredible deals, Perkins himself engineered the major deal with Saudi Arabia that the Bush family still enjoys. This man was so powerful that he considered G.W. Bush and Enron executives his feudal lords and plantation managers. The reluctant story, leaking out Perkins was many times threatened and bribed into not publishing his story, which he had been writing since resigning in 1982. Fatherhood had made self-protection a top priority. Perkins regained his nerve after the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and, with the blessing of his grown daughter, released his Confessions. Obvious international and political intrigue aside, this book is deeply reflective and inspiring, marvelously written, and sets a bold precedent. Finally, the promise he made as a neophyte EHM in 1971 to someday reveal the truth has been delivered. And in this time of global financial crisis, Perkins 2004 call to shake ourselves awake and reevaluate our belief in unfettered economic growth is especially prescient.

The International Journal of Conflict & Reconciliation Fall 2011, Volume 1 Number 1