The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

The book thoroughly details how the EHM system impacts developing countries. Perkins asserts that this system is now being used to manipulate America. How so, and how might people resist the corporatocracy in the United States and abroad?

Perkins promised third-world leaders that they would be able to repay modernization project loans because of a specific feature of those projects. What is that feature, and what actually happens to that feature during the term of the loan?

The true purpose of US support for third-world development loans is to cause those countries to default. Why does the US want this result?

The US says it favors development loans as part of a global battle for the survival of the American way of life. Who or what is the alleged enemy in this battle, and what does Perkins consider the real motive behind these overseas projects?

The usual EHM system didn’t work in Saudi Arabia. Why not, and how did the US adapt its development plans to fit the Saudi case?

Omar Torrijos was aware of the tricks used by EHMs, and he proposed an alternate way to approach development projects in Panama. Explain this different approach and how it benefited both sides.

Venezuela switched to socialism in 1998, stymieing American development plans there. Ordinarily, the US would send in the jackals, but a 2002 coup attempt failed. Then, strangely, Venezuela was relegated to a back burner. What caused this, and why?

For years Perkins persuaded third-world countries to finance development projects with unaffordable, predatory loans. Why did he accept this work, and why did he eventually quit? Would you have accepted such assignments? Explain your decision.