Confessions Of A Hit Man

John Perkins' book "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" explains American foreign policy better than any of the academic tomes you might read on the subject.

By Charley Reese

The foreign country hires American contractors to build the systems, and they make big profits. Then, mired in debt, the head of state will do what the United States government tells him to do. If he proves too independent or too honest to accept bribes, then he will be removed from power, either in a coup or in an accident.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10398.htm

I read it a few months ago. Basically, Perkins was the consultant who would write up the proposal for a power plant in some Central American country. Only he would estimate the cost at three times the actual amount. The IMF would lend the money; Bechtel would get the contract, and the remaining two thirds would be siphoned off through corruption.

Of course, the power plant, while viable at actual cost, could never be profitable at three times that cost. So, ultimately, a day of reconning occurs, with regime change via accident (lead poisoning from a fusillade of gunfire).

Very believable.

Very sad.

And I always believed that my country wanted to help out others, like we did with the Marshall plan.

When I read this book several months ago, it 'connected the dots' for my wondering for years about exactly why the US was militarily involved in small, remote regions around the world and why our government was so vociferous about a tiny little country being too liberal and branding them all as communists.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to fill in some of the blanks of our various administrations' histories through the years.

The mega-corporations have been the ones to profit in the long run. And now they are profitting even more. And the Republicans are their stronges supporters.