Wa'alikum salam wr.wb. Bu Ben, Menarik sekali yang ditulis dalam buku Confessions of an Economic Hit Man ini. Saya sendiri baru membaca dari ringkasan seperti terlampir. Silahkan bagi ynag bertanya-tanya tentang sepak terjang EHM untuk membanca dalam ringkasan berikut.
Wassalam, R Sampono Sutan A hit man comes clean on economy > > By ROBERT TRIGAUX, Times Business Columnist > Published February 7, 2005 ---- > > Economic hit men (EHMs) are highly paid professionals who cheat countries > around the globe out of trillions of dollars. . . . I should know; I was an > EHM. > > - John Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man > > Floridian John Perkins led a comfortable life as a former international > economist and energy entrepreneur. He planned to spend his retirement years > writing New Age books and promoting organizations devoted to the environment > and helping Amazon tribes. > > Then came the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. To Perkins, now 60, who > spent years smack dab in the middle of the U.S. international development > game across the globe - 9/11 was a wake-up call. > > A call to confess. > > Hence his recently published book, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. It > tells how the United States in the past 40-plus years has relied on economic > manipulation and political coercion to extend its power and control over > other nations. Perkins' book is on a dozen bestseller lists and ranked No. > 10 on Sunday's list of nonfiction bestsellers in the New York Times. It is > already in its seventh printing. > > Perkins apparently has hit a nerve with readers anxious to understand better > why so many parts of the developing world have such deep-seeded suspicions > of the United States. The book sheds new light on decades of economic > maneuvers in the Middle East that contributed to today's U.S. involvement in > Iraq. The book even offers some context for the current tensions between the > energy-hungry United States and one of its major oil providers, Venezuela, > as detailed by St. Petersburg Times Latin America correspondent David Adams > on this business page. > > "What economic hit men do is not illegal, but it should be illegal," Perkins > said in a recent interview. If a banker persuaded someone to take out a loan > that was too big to repay, but then demanded some favor to satisfy the loan, > it would be criminal, he argues. > > "This is done on such an international and big scale, that is it not > criminal," he said. > > To be sure, Perkins' "confession" does not break entirely new ground. Books > on antiglobalism and U.S. imperialism are abundant. I am reminded of > Chalmers Johnson's book published in 2000, Blowback. That is a CIA term > describing the unintended consequences of events that were kept secret from > the American public. When the 9/11 attacks happened and Americans asked, > "Why do they hate us?," most of the world knew full well, Johnson wrote at > the time. But most Americans had no idea. > > Perkins' book offers a similar theme. But his story is bolstered by the > author's firsthand experiences in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Indonesia, Panama and > Columbia. In our interview, Perkins recalled how discouraged he was at the > rising anti-Americanism he encountered last year on a trip to Nepal and > Tibet. > > "Our people seem unaware," he said of Americans. "They believe that foreign > aid is used altruistically. But it is often not used that way, and our own > citizens do not understand that." > > As a younger man in 1971, Perkins' business card identified him as an > economist for Charles T. Main. The elite Boston consulting firm advised the > World Bank, International Monetary Fund and other multinational development > agencies whether they should lend billions to developing countries to build > such mega-projects as hydroelectric dams, roads and power plants. > > In reality, said Perkins, he had been recruited as an "economic hit man." He > had interviewed years before with the National Security Agency, but took a > detour by working for the Peace Corps. While in Ecuador, he was approached > by a Charles T. Main executive named Einar Greve, a U.S. Army Reserve > colonel who told Perkins he also acted as an NSA liaison. > > When Perkins' stint with the Peace Corp was over, Greve hired Perkins at > Main. The malleable Perkins then met company consultant Claudine Martin. As > described in the book, she introduced him to his secret role and to the > phrase "economic hit man" or EHM. > > Sound a bit too cloak and dagger? Greve, now retired as president of Tucson, > Ariz., Electric Power Co., told the Tucson Citizen last month said Perkins' > story is "basically true." > > Perkins' job was to travel the globe and purposely inflate the economic > growth estimates in developing countries. Those bloated estimates were then > used to justify funneling billions of international aid dollars and bank > loans into poor countries. > > The money would largely end up in the hands of giant U.S. engineering and > construction firms like Bechtel and Halliburton, contracted to build the > dams and power plants. Any funds left over often disappeared into the hands > of dictators and a few politically powerful families. > > It was a sweet, self-serving and corrupt set-up, Perkins acknowledged, one > the young economist happily went along with to enjoy the big pay and perks > that come with living in developing countries. > > The real beauty was that Perkins did not work for an NSA or CIA. He was > employed by a private company. It was part of a system that initially, after > World War II, was intended to exert U.S. influence and discourage the spread > of communism in Third World countries. > > Now that same system helps extend the U.S. global empire and, increasingly, > the reach and influence of large U.S. corporations, Perkins argues. > > Billions of federal taxpayer dollars simply recycled into the hands of big > U.S. corporations. The debt incurred by the developing countries - based on > Perkins' own rigged analyses of the countries' economies - would eventually > overwhelm them. When that happened, the United States gained more influence > over the indebted country. > > "It was like what the hit men in the Mafia do," Perkins explained. "We > arranged for someone to get a gift from the "Don' that they can never really > repay. Then the "Don' wants something, possibly illegal, and asks for > repayment." > > And what favors did the United States request? "Control over United Nations > votes, the installation of military bases or access to precious resources > such as oil," Perkins said. > > Thanks to the role of economic hit men in the 1970s, Perkins said, Saudi > Arabia cut a deal with the United States to provide ample oil, even in hard > times, in exchange for U.S. military protection. > > The first Iraqi war in the early 1990s and the current involvement in Iraq, > Perkins suggests, are the result of past failures of economic hit men to > make Iraq under Saddam Hussein more beholden to this country. > > Americans don't like to hear it - and it is unfortunate, Perkins said - but > decades of U.S. meddling in the Middle East contributed to the rise and > "Robin Hood" status of Osama Bin Ladin in certain parts of the world. > > He hopes his speaking up will make things better for the next generation, > including daughter Jessica, a 22-year-old FSU graduate now working in Tampa. > > Last month, Perkins left his Florida home near Palm Beach Gardens for > Brazil. There he told his well-received tale as an economic hit man to > thousands of people attending the six-day World Social Forum. The event is > held each year to protest the simultaneous World Economic Forum in > Switzerland attended by government leaders, multinational executives and, > lately, Hollywood celebrities. > > Now Perkins is traveling this country to tell his story, with scheduled > speaking engagements across the Midwest, and at such northeastern schools as > Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania and Brown. > > Some confessions take a lot longer than others. > > Robert Trigaux can be reached at 727 893-8405 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > [Last modified February 4, 2005, 23:47:01] > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Thursday, October 06, 2005 3:22 PM > Subject: Re: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Amien: Indonesia Bangsa Yang Sakit > > > > 'Alaikum salam wr.w b. > > > > Sanak Syahril, > > > > Eloknyo pak Amin Rais tu maojokkan topik ko kakito di palanta ko, baru > sero. > > Ka ka musajik di odok-an sampai di malah kesmepatan dek pandanga wirik ka > > manjawek nyo. > > > > Sabananyo, pim[pinan2 kito tu bana nan sakik! > > IM, BANK Dunia ...? Apkoh iko ubek? Bantauan? > > Justru iko racun yg sangat berbisa. Mungkin iyo ubek juo, tp ubek utk > > para pimpinan tu. > > > > Silahkan baco bukku Confesion of the Economy Hit Men tu. > > Mari ambo kirimkan ciek ke slaah seorang di siko. > > Budi, lai duduek angku disiko? > > > > Insya Allah akan ambo kirimkan ciek buku tu utk angku, lalu silahkan > > bergantian/bagi2 pengalaman mambaco/ kopi nyo sdi bagi2. > > Pinjam kan juo ka pak Amin Rais tu. Disitu baru kito tahu bana apo yg > > "batuan" bank Dunia dan IMF tu. > > > > Sahuuurrr....!!!!! > > Salam dan maaf, > > NM > > Website http://www.rantaunet.org _____________________________________________________ Berhenti/mengganti konfigurasi keanggotaan anda, silahkan ke: http://rantaunet.org/palanta-setting ____________________________________________________
