Table of Contents

Introduction: The Third Economic Hit Man Wave and China’s EHM Strategy
Part 1: Harbinger for the Future
1. A Defiant President 
2. A Savior’s Nightmare 
3. Canary in the Cage 
Part II: 1963–1971
4. Dirty Business 
5. An Economic Hit Man Is Born
6. “In for Life” 
7. Indonesia: Lessons for an EHM 
8. Saving a Country from Communism 
9. Selling My Soul 
Part III: 1971–1975
10. My Role as Inquisitor 
11. Civilization on Trial 
12. Opportunity of a Lifetime 
13. Panama’s President and Hero 
14. US Colonialism in the Canal Zone 
15. Conversations with the General 
16. Entering a New and Sinister Period in Economic History 
17. The Saudi Arabian Money-Laundering Affair 
18. Pimping, and Financing Osama bin Laden 
Part IV: 1975–1981
19. Panama Canal Negotiations 
20. Iran’s King of Kings 
21. Confessions of a Tortured Man 
22. The Fall of a King 
23. Colombia: Keystone of Latin America 
24. American Republic versus Global Empire 
25. The Deceptive Résumé 
26. Ecuador’s President Battles Big Oil 
27. I Quit 
Part V: 1981–2004
28. Ecuador’s Presidential Death 
29. Panama: Another Presidential Death 
30. My Energy Company and George W. Bush 
31. I Take a Bribe
32. The United States Invades Panama 
33. An EHM Failure in Iraq 
Part VI: 2004–2016
34. Conspiracy: Was I Poisoned? 
35. Istanbul: Death versus Life Economy 
36 Another EHM Banking Scandal 
37. The New Millennium’s New Economic Hit Men
38. The New Millennium’s New Jackals 
Part VII: China’s EHM Strategy
39. China Swings the Balance 
40. China’s Economic Hit Men 
41. Latin America 
42. Asia 
43. Africa 
44. The Middle East 
45. Europe 
46. The United States 
Conclusion: We Each Have a Role to Play to End the EHM Strategy

About the Author

John Perkins has written eleven books, including the first edition of this book, which was on the New York Times bestseller list for more than seventy weeks and was translated into over thirty languages. As a former chief economist, he advised the World Bank, the United Nations, Fortune 500 corporations, and governments around the world.

Reviews

Praise for John Perkins’s books:
 
“John Perkins’s books have helped me better understand something that has been puzzling me for a long time: Why have so many resource-rich countries in the developing world remained steadfastly poor? The answers he gives are both complex and uncomfortable, and none of us in the first world can abrogate responsibility easily.”
—Sting

“In this brilliantly informative third edition of Confessions, John Perkins draws on his extraordinary personal experience to reveal how China has used lessons from the US economic hit man assault on people and Earth to best the United States in what ultimately will be a mutually fatal competition to be the last global superpower on a dead Earth. Let us heed his call to the people and leaders of both countries to put that past behind us and join with people everywhere to create an ecological civilization free of superpower competition and dedicated to the well-being of Earth and all its people.”
—David Korten, author of When Corporations Rule the World and The Great Turning

“This eloquent book inspires us to create a new reality of what it means to be human in this magnificent planet.”
—Deepak Chopra, author of Perfect Health, You Are the Universe, and other bestsellers

“A highly readable—and shocking—book. It's difficult to accept that United States and corporate policies can be so brutal and greedy, but knowing John Perkins personally, I have come to understand the importance of disclosing this uncomfortable truth. Only by confronting the truth can we eventually create a world that works for all of us. John Perkins inspires us to get up and take action to create a more just and equitable world.” 
—Jack Canfield, co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series

“A sweeping, bold assault on the tyranny of corporate globalization, full of drama and adventure, with devastating stories of greed run wild.  But Perkins is undaunted, and offers imaginative ideas for a different world.” 
—Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States
 
“Like finding the key that unlocks a mystery. It simultaneously confirms your suspicions and inspires you to hope. I wouldn't say it's good news, but it's important news.... about where America's gone wrong, and what it will take for us to make things right.
—Marianne Williamson, author of A Year of Miracles, A Politics of Love, and other bestsellers

“A significant contribution to the new universal way of searching for innovative and better approaches to coexistence.”
—Dr. Rafael Correa Delgado, President of Ecuador (2007-2017)
 
“Resonates with my experiences of the brutish methods and gross economic irrationality guiding powerful institutions in their bid to undermine democratic control over economic power. Perkins has, once again, made a substantial contribution to a world that needs whistle-blowers to open its eyes to the true sources of political, social, and economic power.”
—Yanis Varoufakis, former Minister of Finance, Greece

“An eye-opening exposé of global corruption and a fascinating story of adventure and intrigue. This devastating indictment of current economic policies also offers hope by showing the power of the growing movement toward a caring economics worldwide.”
–Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice and the Blade and The Real Wealth of Nations

“Offers deep insights into the nefarious ways economic hit men and jackals have expanded their powers. It shows how they came home to roost in the United States—as well as the rest of the world. It is a brilliant and bold book that illuminates the crises we now face and offers a road map to stop them.”
—John Gray, PhD, author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

“John Perkins’s engaging narrative draws us into a brilliant analysis of capitalism’s shadow side and points us to a hopeful path to a better future… a must read for anyone who cares about our economic welfare, social justice, and collective well-being.”
—Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence and Ecological Intelligence

“John Perkins probed the dark depths of global oligarchy and emerged into the light of hope. This true story that reads like a page-turning novel is great for all of us who want the better world that we know is possible for ourselves, future generations, and the planet.”
—Marci Shimoff, author of Happy for No Reason and Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul

“Here are the real-life details—nasty, manipulative, plain evil—of international corporate skullduggery spun into a tail rivaling the darkest espionage thriller.”
–Greg Palast, author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy

“Perkins provides a profound analysis of two forces vying to define the future. One is intent on preserving systems that serve the few at the expense of the many, while the other promotes a new consciousness of what it means to be human on this beautiful, fragile planet. This powerful book inspires and empowers actions that manifest an awakening to our collective ecosystem and the rebirth of humanity—an ECOrenaissance.”
—Marci Zaroff, founder of ECOfashion brands Under the Canopy and Metawear

“Tells the rest of that story—the terrible things that have happened . . .and what we all can do to turn a death economy into a life economy.”
—Yoko Ono

“Stunning and groundbreaking. . . A must read for anyone who cares about the world.”
—Lynne Twist, global activist and author of The Soul of Money and Living a Committed Life

“An amazing guide to co-creating a human presence on our planet that honors all life as sacred. It exposes our past mistakes; offers a vision for a compassionate, sustainable future; and provides practical approaches for making the transition between the two. A must-read for anyone who loves our beautiful home, Earth.”
—Barbara Marx Hubbard, bestselling author and President, Foundation for Conscious Evolution

“As one who has helped thousands of people grow their businesses, I’ve learned firsthand the importance of facing the crises old economic models created and acting positively to develop new approaches. Perkins’s experiences, his exposé of the failures, his clear vision of what needs to be done, his call to action, and the sense of joy he feels for being part of this consciousness revolution are deeply inspiring.”
—Sage Lavine, CEO, Conscious Women Entrepreneurs; and founder of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy

"Mr. Perkins's core message is that American corporations and government agencies employ two types of operatives: 'economic hit men,' who bribe emerging economies, and ‘jackals,' who may be used to overthrow or even murder heads of state in Latin America and the Middle East to serve the greater cause of American empire. . . . [This] book seems to have tapped into a larger vein of discontent and mistrust that Americans feel toward the ties that bind together corporations, large lending institutions and the government — a nexus that Mr. Perkins and others call the ‘corporatocracy.’”
—The New York Times

“This riveting look at a world of intrigue reads like a spy novel . . . Highly recommended.”
—Library Journal

“Imagine the conceptual love child of James Bond and Milton Friedman.”
—Boston Herald

"Conspiracy buffs are most likely to enjoy this updated version of a memoir that was a surprise bestseller in 2004…This revised version, he states, was written to answer the thousands of emails he received from readers interested in what they could do to resist.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Ultimately, Confessions is a parable for all Americans who try to deny the heartbreaking fact that our society’s affluence often comes at the wider world’s expense.”
—Utne Reader

“[A] gripping tell-all book . . . Perkins reveals how the US machine works behind closed doors and how America has exploited others for its own needs.”
—Rocky Mountain News

“Perkins claims may seem unthinkable to most Americans. But the evidence, looking at the world economy, is damning . . . the citizens of this country need to be willing to examine the actions of our political and corporate leaders and demand that they stop the destruction that is making the world an increasingly dangerous place to live.”
—Charlotte Observer

“An intriguing, vivid account of Perkins’s ‘living on the edge’ experiences, this fascinating read is of the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction variety.”
—Library Journal (Lucy Heckman, St. John’s University Lib., Queens, NY)