Lägg till bokmärke
Best book I read in 2009. READ. THIS. BOOK. It will open your eyes to the real USA, how we've taken control of dozens of countries without going t... (show more)
The Secret History of the American Empire: Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and the Truth about Global Corruption
A riveting exposé of international corruptionand what we can do about it, from the author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, which spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list.
In his stunning memoir, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, John Perkins detailed his former role as an economic hit man in the international corporate skullduggery of a de facto American Empire. This riveting, behind-the-scenes exposé unfolded like a cinematic blockbuster told through the eyes of ... (show more)
A riveting exposé of international corruptionand what we can do about it, from the author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, which spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list.
In his stunning memoir, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, John Perkins detailed his former role as an economic hit man in the international corporate skullduggery of a de facto American Empire. This riveting, behind-the-scenes exposé unfolded like a cinematic blockbuster told through the eyes of a man who once helped shape that empire. Now, in The Secret History of the American Empire, Perkins zeroes in on hot spots around the world and, drawing on interviews with other hit men, jackals, reporters, and activists, examines the current geopolitical crisis. Instability is the norm: Its clear that the world weve created is dangerous and no longer sustainable. How did we get here? Whos responsible? What good have we done and at what cost? And what can we do to change things for the next generations? Addressing these questions and more, Perkins reveals the secret history behind the events that have created the American Empire, including:
The current Latin-American revolution and its lessons for democracy
How the defeats in Vietnam and Iraq benefited big business
The role of Israel as Fortress America in the Middle East
Tragic repercussions of the IMFs Asian Economic Collapse
U.S. blunders in Tibet, Congo, Lebanon, and Venezuela
Jackal (CIA operatives) forays to assassinate democratic presidents
From the U.S. military in Iraq to infrastructure development in Indonesia, from Peace Corps volunteers in Africa to jackals in Venezuela, Perkins exposes a conspiracy of corruption that has fueled instability and anti-Americanism around the globe. Alarming yet hopeful, this book provides a compassionate plan to reimagine our world. (show less)
Related Media
Photo Gallery
Reviews (See all 119) Write a reviewfor this
It's a hit!
No, it's a flop!
Zzzzzz.... As pedantic and preachy on the ultra-liberal "Corporate Greed" mantra as it gets. Invent terms like "corporatocracy" and beat it to dea... (show more)
Zzzzzz.... As pedantic and preachy on the ultra-liberal "Corporate Greed" mantra as it gets. Invent terms like "corporatocracy" and beat it to death. Just as bad as the extreme conservative counterparts like Hannity or Coulter. I was hoping for a more factual accounting - and less proselytizing. (show less)
More Reviews
-
I loved this book as well as Confessions. I've read some other reviews that seem to disagree,
stating that Perkins' message is saying that "all the corporations of the world are in on some
sinister plot", or that he has a "grim outlook on things".Here's what I think is missed and really is a big part of his message...America was founded on
great principles that makes every human being on this earth equal. He successfully goes back
to the founding fathers of our... (show more)I loved this book as well as Confessions. I've read some other reviews that seem to disagree,
stating that Perkins' message is saying that "all the corporations of the world are in on some
sinister plot", or that he has a "grim outlook on things".Here's what I think is missed and really is a big part of his message...America was founded on
great principles that makes every human being on this earth equal. He successfully goes back
to the founding fathers of our great nation and draws a line of comparison to what we were
truly fighting for (democracy), and who and what we were fighting against (the British EMpire),
to the undeniable existence of a corporatocracy in today's world that has done a lot of damage
to our ideals over the last 50 years by exploiting other people's outside of our nation.He doesn't state that all of the corporations have taken part in this oligarchy, but he clearly
demonstrates that there are some very powerful entitities that have shaped our foreign policy
over these last 50 years where in we have gone into these resource rich nations and taken
control of their economies via EHM's, Jackals, and our own military. I mean, the guy was an
EHM himself! As he has stated, there is no conspiracy here...it has happened and is happening.He ends the book with some very positive outlooks and, to me, clearly expresses his enthusiasm
in the prospect that America can be the leader in ending the stranglehold of the
corporatocracy and to make positive change around the globe. (show less)Already read
-
This one is a tough one for me to rate. I actually quite enjoyed the read and as a true capitalist I am quite annoyed with mixed market economies and their support for some unsavory dictators but Perkins is a raging conspirocy theorist. He takes small bits of personal information that he's gleaned through the years and tries to extrapolate it into some kind of 'proof' that all the corporations of the world are in on some sinister plot. I was half waiting for him to get into some kind of conne... (show more)
This one is a tough one for me to rate. I actually quite enjoyed the read and as a true capitalist I am quite annoyed with mixed market economies and their support for some unsavory dictators but Perkins is a raging conspirocy theorist. He takes small bits of personal information that he's gleaned through the years and tries to extrapolate it into some kind of 'proof' that all the corporations of the world are in on some sinister plot. I was half waiting for him to get into some kind of connection between corporate greed and the now debunked 911 conspirocy theories.
A quote from the Boston Globe:
''Confessions" contains what logicians call the ''post hoc, ergo propter hoc" fallacy. This error stems from the assumption that when one or more things happen, other events taking place after them must be their consequence. Perkins hand-casts kernels of after-the-fact truths, but they are largely a harvest of unproven conclusions. (show less)Already read
- See all reviews
Advertisement
Lists
This book has been added to these lists:
More Stuff
About Us
LivingSocial.com is a social discovery and cataloging network that allows people to review and share their favorite movies, books, games, music, restaurants and beer
