Oct 13

Oct 13 #86 | John Perkins: Venezuela, Economic Hitman, & The Death Economy

John Perkins is the best-selling author of several books, including the well-known "Confessions of an Economic Hitman," as well as his follow-up book "The New Confessions of an Economic Hitman," released last year.

John spent the 1970s working for the strategic-consulting firm Chas. T. Main as Chief Economist, where he and his staff advised the World Bank, United Nations, IMF, U.S. Treasury Department, Fortune 500 corporations, as well as countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. To get an idea of what John did while at this firm, this is his description of an "economic hitman" from "Confessions of an Economic Hitman":

"Economic hit men (EHMs) are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. They funnel money from the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other foreign "aid" organizations into the coffers of huge corporations and the pockets of a few wealthy families who control the planet’s natural resources. 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 new and terrifying dimensions during this time of globalization. I should know; I was an EHM."

In this episode, we discuss his role regarding this paradigm of economic exploitation termed "globalization," as well as his insight into the political and economic turmoil currently being experienced in South and Central American nations, and more specifically in Venezuela.