I finished John Perkins’ Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, as well as some lighter reading, on the way to and from London a few weeks ago. To be quite honest, once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. If you haven’t read it, I definitely recommend it.

If you were ever curious about how global empire is maintained in the 20th and in to the 21st centuries, this book will probably tie up a lot of loose ends for you. If you were ever curious about why people all over the globe hate the American government, this book will make sense of it all.

It’s the type of stories you hear from conspiracy theorists and categorically reject as crazy and implausible, like how the World Bank and the IMF, in collusion with big businesses, conspire to keep the third world poor, to exploit their human and natural resources for profit, and suppress any popular dissent.

Here’s Anti-flag song of the same name, inspired by Perkins’ book.

…Abrenz, Mossadeq, Allende
Roldos, Torrijos, Aristide
Elected democratically,
All snuffed out by the CIA
The truth will cause your heart to seize,
Shed light on the true enemies…