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+++ A Game as old as Empire : A game of economic corruption played around the globe +++
Edited by Steven Hiatt, 310 pages.
In A Game as Old as Empire, Editor Steven Hiatt has compiled twelve essays from muckraking journalists, activists and former global bankers who reveal the darkened underbelly of corporate globalism.
A Game as Old as Empire is a follow up to Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, written by John Perkins, a former banker who destroyed the economies of many debt-ridden third world nations by converting the debt into profits for the corporate and political elite. Critics lambasted Perkins’ sole account of his actions, demanding proof that such dirty machinations actually took place. Empire is a chilling account of the abusive fraud perpetrated in the cryptic world of international finance, and the thin tightropes of legality bankers balance themselves upon.
" If my confessions could send such a strong message to the public, it made sense that multiple confessions -- or the stories about people who need to confess -- might reach even more people.... The intrepid contributors to this book uncover events that have taken place across a wide range of countries, all EHM game plans under a variety of guises.Each sheds more light on the building of an empire that is contrary of American principles of democracy and equality. " -- From the introduction by John Perkins
Hiatt and author Lucy Komisar navigate the murky waters that insulated the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), and the policies which caused it to be shut down after its directors committed the largest bank fraud in history - some fifteen billion dollars squandered or stolen.
Christian relief worker Kathleen Kern recounts the heinous wars that have killed more than four million people in the Republic of Congo over mines producing coltan, a vital component to making semiconductors that operate laptop computers and cell phones.
Environmental and social justice activist Greg Muttitt uncovers a little known Western foundation, the International Tax and Investment Center, which is forcing Iraq into oil production sharing agreements which will lead to hundreds of billions of dollars in lost revenues for Iraq, while funneling enormous profits to foreign companies through the use of offshore bank accounts.
Journalist, economist and lawyer James S. Henry exposes the heavy strings attached to debt relief loans that have led to the closing of hospitals and schools, bankrupted local businesses, and created high unemployment for miniscule relief that hardly cover debtor nations’ needs.
These and the other chapters provide compelling evidence of how world trade is devastating the environment, finances and the people of the third world for the sake of financial piracy.
However, even those with expert knowledge of global financial hijinks will find Hiatt and the authors succinct in their interpretations of these barbarous fiscal abuses - in a world with decreasing resources and governmental infrastructures unprepared to handle inevitable growth.
Too often, books like this are long on pointing out problems but very short on resolutions. A Game as Old as Empire ends with an essay from journalist/activist Antonia Juhasz, who offers practical recommendations for fighting this New World Order menace. Juhasz encourages her readers to differentiate between the blatant violence of groups like Al Qaida, and the economic terrorism foisted upon debtor nations by Western elites. Juhasz reminds us the Osama bin Laden paid for his movement by taking advantage of corrupt banking schemes formerly proffered by BCCI and others.
Finally, I agree with comment from the rear cover by Kevin Danaher. " This book should provide the last nail in the coffin of the ' Washington Consensus ': an economic model that has increased global inequality, prevented democratic rules, and destroyed the environment. These insider accounts lay to rest any naive belief that transnational banks and corporations can bring ' development ' to poor countries. "
P.S. I am so boring with Thai politics.
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