Return of the Economic Hit Man

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John Perkins used to do bad things for a living. His first book, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, outlined his former occupation as a world traveler who wooed leaders of underdeveloped countries to accept enormous financial loans they could never dream of repaying. The swath of debt he personally created worldwide impoverished nations and fattened the pockets of American corporations like Halliburton and Bechtel. Perkins helped America build a global empire by draining the resources of other, less savvy economies.

Now John Perkins does great things. Despite heavy discouragement from his employment overlords, he published his first book and ripped the veil off the inner workings of some of the world’s largest, wealthiest corporations. He has worked extensively with Amazonian tribes to help preserve their natural habitats. And now he has published a follow-up book, The Secret History of the American Empire. In it Perkins reveals the cruelty of corporate globalization, outlines a network of corruption that stretches from Latin America to Africa to the Middle East, and makes jaw-dropping, controversial revelations along the way. He has been rewarded for his efforts with several anonymous death threats. Despite the despair some of Perkins’s disclosures might instill, the book ends on a hopeful note and offers real suggestions for positive change we can all effect.
Thu., July 12, 8 p.m.