Hoodwinked

I have just started reading Hoodwinked, by author and ex-economic hit man John Perkins. For those who may not have heard of him, he is the author of best selling books Confessions of an Economic Hit Man and The Secret History of the American Empire. As we have watched the world economies unravel over the past three years, as credit started to dry up in 2007, a lot of things have come to light. Things that are more disturbing to me that I may have previously thought.

Perkins writes about how basically, over a long period of time, the US government has hired private consultants and contractors to do their dirty work. An Economic Hit Man would be hired to go into a country, such as Indonesia, and convince it’s President to take out huge loans with the World Bank in order to improve their infrastructure, build up their economy, and become a world player like the United States. However, the loan that was made would go through the US to private corporations who would build the infrastructure and electric grids. When the country could not repay back the loan, the economic hit man would return for a “pound of flesh.” That is, in order to settle the debt, the EHM would demand that the country’s valuable resources be sold to the US at cheaper prices.

An Excerpt That Got Me Thinking

I want to share with you an excerpt that I just read last night. It is disturbing, yet I feel it needs to be told. I am not a conspiracy theorist by any means, but I feel this information is critical to understanding the world economies and why we are now facing this global crisis.

Page 18:

Since World War II, we have been in the process of sculpting history’s first truly global empire. Instead of gladiators in camouflage suits, we sent in artists with briefcases and computer models. They applied the laser-sharp tools of economics to chisel away at precious minerals minded from the Third World.

Typically, our corporations identified a country that owned something they coveted-resources considered vital or strategic chunks of real estate. Then the EHMs shuttled off to convince the leaders of that country that what they needed were massive loans from the World Bank and its sister organizations; however, the money, the leaders were informed, would not be dispersed directly to their country- it would instead pay U.S. corporations to build infrastructure projects, such as power plants, harbors, and industrial parks. “These will benefit you,” the leaders were assured, “and your friends”- the few wealthy local families who owned businesses that thrive on electricity, exportation, and manufactured goods. We neglected to point out that the primary beneficiaries would be our own companies, the ones that constructed the projects…

As if that weren’t bad enough, I kept reading and this caught my attention even more.

Page 20:

…The model was so successful overseas that we imported it into the United States. Many of the same policies and techniques that we EHMs demanded of leaders in the Philippines, Zaire (Congo), and Ecuador were introduced into New York, California, and Michigan. Among the most prevalent here in the United States: the abandonment of laws that force corporations to adhere to strict environmental, social, truth-in-advertising, and other standards, and other standards that once protected the rights of the general populace; assumption of large amounts of personal, corporate, and governmental debt; privatization of utilities, prisons, and other “public” institutions; increased police surveillance under the guise of “homeland security”; and the use of public landsto serve corporate interests.

Not So Sure What To Believe Anymore

Within the first 50 pages of reading this book, I have had to stop reading and put the book down at least three times. Too many things that didn’t make sense, make sense in this book. Not that making sense means it’s all good. Just that the question I had seemed to be answered, whether I liked it or not.

I am, by nature, curious. And I consciously try not to take anything at face value when researching. If I read something in one place, I will research to find those same facts in at least five other places to make sure that it is consistent and makes sense. Even then, I can’t be too sure if it is real or not.

I will continue to read the book and try to learn from it. I will share any interesting information I come across here on my blog. I encourage you to pick up the book, or his other two books and give them a try. As much as they are hard to read, I feel it is important to have a well-rounded idea of what is going on in the world.

Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below or by emailing me.

Disclaimer: If you choose to purchase any of the three books mentioned in this post using the links provided, I will make a commission.