Video By The Jist
💣 Economic Hitman Confesses
John Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hitman, has spent decades reflecting on his role in advancing U.S. corporate and geopolitical power around the world. In a recent interview, he revisits the American-led coup in Iran in 1953 that removed the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. Perkins says the event planted lasting resentment among Iranians, a sentiment that still influences U.S.–Iran relations today.
📉 Engineering Debt and Control
Perkins was recruited by the NSA, then established his early Economist career convincing resource-rich countries to accept massive development loans that would benefit U.S. contractors but often left those nations buried in debt. “It wasn’t aid,” he says, “it was control.” Though the projects promised growth, they disproportionately benefited local elites and foreign investors, while diverting funds from health and education.
🌿 A Shamanic Awakening in the Amazon
Unlike most interviews with Perkins, this one also sheds light on his life away from his covert role as an NSA agent, operating as a Chief Economist for a U.S. corporation. His transformation began with a near death in the Ecuadorian Amazon forest and an encounter with a Shuar shaman who saved his life with ayahuasca. That experience led to years of apprenticeship with the shaman and triggered a profound shift in his worldview.
🌍 Toward a Life Economy
Today, Perkins advocates for a “life economy,” where business and development support ecological balance and long-term well-being. At 80, Perkins remains optimistic. “We’re in the midst of a consciousness revolution,” he says. “It’s our time to wake up — not just to what’s wrong, but to what’s possible.”
🕵️♂️ From IMF to CIA: Exposing the Global Con Game
Video By TRT World
On this episode of The InnerView, Imran Garda sits down with John Perkins to discuss his past as an economic hitman, why he turned against the system, how those tactics persist today, and how China is now adopting similar strategies.
Perkins was the “original” economic hitman, a former chief economist who worked through institutions like the IMF and the World Bank to ensnare nations in debt, extract their resources, and expand U.S. influence. His assignments took him across Latin America, including Ecuador and Panama, as well as to Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and beyond. When leaders resisted, CIA-backed “jackals” ensured compliance. In Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, Perkins revealed the inner workings of this global system of exploitation. The conversation ends with Perkins’ vision for a “life economy” rooted in sustainability and justice.
