A Game as Old as Empire: The Secret World of Economic Hit Men and the Web of Global Corruption (BK Currents)

John Perkins’ controversial and bestselling exposé, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, revealed for the first time the secret world of economic hit men (EHMs). But Perkins’ Confessions contained only a small piece of this sinister puzzle. The full story is far bigger, deeper, and darker than Perkins’ personal account revealed. Here other EHMs, journalists, and investigators join Perkins to tell their own stories, providing the first probing and expansive look into this pervasive web of systematic corruption. With chapters spotlighting how specific countries around the globe have been subverted, A Game As Old As Empire uncovers the inner workings of the institutions behind these economic manipulations. The contributors detail concrete examples of how the “economic hit man game” is still being played: an officer of an offshore bank hiding hundreds of millions of dollars in stolen money, IMF advisers slashing Ghana’s education and health programs, a mercenary defending a European oil company in Nigeria, a consultant rewriting Iraqi oil law, and executives financing warlords to secure supplies of coltan ore in Congo. Together they show how this system of corruption and plunder operates in real life, and reveal the price that the rest of the world must pay as a result. Most important, A Game As Old As Empire connects the dots, showing how the various pieces of this system come together to create the world’s first truly global empire. Builds on the shocking picture of worldwide economic corruption first presented in John Perkins' Confessions of an Economic Hit Man • Features a dozen chapters detailing contemporary examples of how the economic hit man game is played around the globe John Perkinsâ€TM controversial and bestselling exposé, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, revealed for the first time the secret world of economic hit men (EHMs). But Perkinsâ€TM Confessions contained only a small piece of this sinister puzzle. The full story is far bigger, deeper, and darker than Perkinsâ€TM personal account revealed. Here other EHMs, journalists, and investigators join Perkins to tell their own stories, providing the first probing and expansive look into this pervasive web of systematic corruption. With chapters spotlighting how specific countries around the globe have been subverted, A Game As Old As Empire uncovers the inner workings of the institutions behind these economic manipulations. The contributors detail concrete examples of how the “economic hit man game” is still being played: an officer of an offshore bank hiding hundreds of millions of dollars in stolen money, IMF advisers slashing Ghanaâ€TMs education and health programs, a mercenary defending a European oil company in Nigeria, a consultant rewriting Iraqi oil law, and executives financing warlords to secure supplies of coltan ore in Congo. Together they show how this system of corruption and plunder operates in real life, and reveal the price that the rest of the world must pay as a result. Most important, A Game As Old As Empire connects the dots, showing how the various pieces of this system come together to create the worldâ€TMs first truly global empire. Builds on the shocking picture of worldwide economic corruption first presented in John Perkins' Confessions of an Economic Hit Man - Features a dozen chapters detailing contemporary examples of how the economic hit man game is played around the globe John Perkins' controversial and bestselling exposé, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, revealed for the first time the secret world of economic hit men (EHMs). But Perkins' Confessions contained only a small piece of this sinister puzzle. The full story is far bigger, deeper, and darker than Perkins' personal account revealed. Here other EHMs, journalists, and investigators join Perkins to tell their own stories, providing the first probing and expansive look into this pervasive web of systematic corruption. With chapters spotlighting how specific countries around the globe have been subverted, A Game As Old As Empire uncovers the inner workings of the institutions behind these economic manipulations. The contributors detail concrete examples of how the?economic hit man game? is still being played: an officer of an offshore bank hiding hundreds of millions of dollars in stolen money, IMF advisers slashing Ghana's education and health programs, a mercenary defending a European oil company in Nigeria, a consultant rewriting Iraqi oil law, and executives financing warlords to secure supplies of coltan ore in Congo. Together they show how this system of corruption and plunder operates in real life, and reveal the price that the rest of the world must pay as a result. Most important, A Game As Old As Empire connects the dots, showing how the various pieces of this system come together to create the world's first truly global empire This book is a compilation from various authors and is a companion volume to A Game as Old as Empire: The Secret World of Economic Hit Men and the Web of Global Corruption. The selection of topics centers around finances and global corporate power. Some of the tools for corporate tax evasion are listed. "Transfer pricing" and "round-trips" are two of the more prominent vehicles. Profit laundering through tax havens is another. Chapter 4 "BCCI's Double Game" by Lucy Komisar alone makes this book a "must read". The names associated with that bank make for strange bedfellows to say the least! Another current topic is the real motivation for invading Iraq. It has nothing to do with WMD's and it's a case of history repeating itself. After reading about the exploitations related to institutions like the IMF, World Bank and other international entities, the reader is treated to some promising developments in the final chapter. Individual community ordinances to regulate corporations on a local level and a call for corporate charters are two examples. This is an excellent book for any reader interested in the financial and economic aspects of the American Empire. Resource Added For The Economics 10-809-195 Courses. Introduction: New Confessions And Revelations From The World Of Economic Hit Men / John Perkins -- Global Empire: The Web Of Control / Steven Hiatt -- Selling Money-- And Dependency: Setting The Debt Trap / S.c. Gwynne -- Dirty Money: Inside The Secret World Of Offshore Banking / John Christensen -- Bcci's Double Game: Banking On America, Banking On Jihad / Lucy Komisar -- The Human Cost Of Cheap Cell Phones / Kathleen Kern -- Mercenaries On The Front Lines In The New Scramble For Africa / Andrew Rowell And James Marriott -- Hijacking Iraq's Oil Reserves: Economic Hit Men At Work / Greg Muttitt -- The World Bank And The $100 Billion Question / Steve Berkman -- The Philippines, The World Bank, And The Race To The Bottom / Ellen Augustine -- Exporting Destruction / Bruce Rich -- The Mirage Of Debt Relief / James S. Henry -- Global Uprising: The Web Of Resistance / Antonia Juhasz. Edited By Steven Hiatt ; Introduction By John Perkins. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. A Game as Old as Empire is a collection of accounts from investigators, journalists and activists calling themselves "economic hitmen", about global affairs. Each chapter contains a story about a different aspect of what one of the authors calls the "web of global corruption." The book is edited by Steven Hiatt, with an introduction by John Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. John Perkins's sensational New York Times bestseller Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (more than 300,000 sold) revealed just the tip of the iceberg of the secret world of economic hit men and the web of global corruption. Now more economic hit men and investigators tell the whole shocking story. Exposes the secrets of a worldwide web of control, corruption, and plunder. This book tells how bigger powers operate to enrich small elite and corporate coffers while often impoverishing masses of people and creating debt and dependency that economically enslave countries for generations