John Perkins, the American economist and author of the book “Economic Miller confessions”, said that his life and his family were threatened during the period of writing the work that revealed how America uses economic tools to dominate the countries of the third world.
In a new episode of the “interview” program on Al -Jazeera, Birkins confirmed that huge pressure was imposed on it by influential parties to prevent the publication of the book, which reached the point of receiving direct threats to target his infant daughter if he did not stop his project.
He explained that these threats were not directly from the American government, but rather from parties related to what he called “the Corbapncia”, a network that includes major international companies allied with state institutions to achieve common strategic interests.
He pointed out that his book, published in 2004, transformed his entire professional path, and around it from a banking personality specialized in “Financial Engineering for Modern Colonialism” into a political activist seeking to expose the tools of contemporary economic domination.
He added that his experience as an “economic killer” began in the seventies when he was appointed in a major international consulting company, and began preparing misleading financial reports to inflate the need of developing countries for billions of dollars, for use in huge infrastructure projects.
He indicated that the aim of these loans was not the support of those countries, but rather to dump them in debt that is not payable, which guarantees their political and economic dependency on the United States, within the framework of a strategy that he described as “modern financial colonialism.”
He stated that many countries in Latin America, and others in Asia and the Middle East, were an arena for those practices, where local leaders are manipulated through bribes, threats or coups if necessary.
Persuade huge loans
Perkins revealed that among his most prominent duties in that period, convincing state leaders that huge loans would lead to growth, even though internal studies were clearly showing that peoples would only gain poverty, dependency and unemployment.
He pointed out that the affected countries were later forced to privatize their vital sectors and open their markets to American companies, in exchange for the reschedule of their debts, a policy that was placed to ensure Washington’s permanent control over the capabilities of these countries.
Perkins spoke about articulated stations that led him to rebel against this system, most notably the assassination of Ecuadorian President Jaemi Roldos in 1981, who refused to obey American dictates, and felt that he was targeted by the same regime.
He also referred to the assassination of President Omar Torchus in the same year, which rocked his convictions, and then realized that the game he works within it is not just economies and markets, but rather a game of bloody influence that does not know red lines.
He indicated that in the beginning of the eighties, he decided to stop working in the field of “economic killing”, and began writing his memoirs, but he faced great pressure from former companies and customers to discourage his project.
He added that one of the companies offered him an amount of half a million dollars in exchange for not writing anything about his previous experiences, which he agreed at that time because of his fear for his family, but it was soon that the agreement was broken after the feelings of anger and remorse within him exploded.
It is time to reveal the facts
He explained that in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, he felt that the time had come to reveal the facts, especially after he noticed how these attacks were used to justify new wars and accelerated economic domination over different regions of the world.
According to Perkins, his book “Economic Film Confessions” sold more than a million copies, and translated into more than 30 languages, which made him an important reference in understanding how Washington practiced its domination without the need for military forces.
He pointed out that the world today has not changed much, but has become more complicated, as hegemony tools have evolved to include digital technology and media monopolies, along with international financial institutions.
He considered that what is happening in the countries of the south today, from economic crises and economic collapses, is nothing but a continuation of the same policies, but it has become more intelligent and apparent, which makes its confrontation more difficult.
He stressed that the solution lies in people’s awareness of these policies, and their insistence on building just and independent economic systems, stressing the need to enhance education and involve civil society in economic decision -making.
Berkins stressed that he is still receiving threat messages from time to time, but he believes that his mission is now greater than ever, “because what is happening today is a new version of colonialism, it must be exposed at the cost of the price.”
