Book recommendation - Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

[John_Shadows_1]

I don't know how many of you have read this one, yet - but it's really good. It tells the story of corporate greed behind all of the major U.S. foregin policy maneuvers of the last 30 years.

Great Book.

Here is an interview with the author that explains the premise:

http://alternet.org/story/21245/

[keithjx]

1. Just started it last night.

I am really excited to be reading it. I'll drop a line when I finish it. I think it should be required reading - people in this nation just have no idea what goes on beyond our borders.
KJ

[BillyDoc]

2. Thanks, I just ordered it

The limits of Corporate Greed are astounding, or maybe I should say that there simply aren't any limits.

Another book that everyone should read is The Corporation, by Joel Bakan. In The Corporation Mr. Bakan shows the legal foundation upon which Corporations are based, and why they act as they do. In short, they act like they do . . . because they can't do anything else! Not even their CEO's can stop them.

Anyway, after reading the interview at the link you provided I ordered the book. We all need to get as smart as we can about this problem to have any hope at all of solving it.

[confludemocrat]

3. A revelation

Amy Goodman had him on back in December (twice!!)--mind boggling and eye-opening stuff about something that determines the course of our world. A must read. You guessed something smelled about how the world was bing screwed up even worse behind closed doors in well-appointed office suites but here's someone from the inside to confirm it.

[Supersedeas]

5. True, great interview too.

[KingoftheJungle]

4. Two other key books to add to the list:

"The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" -Greg Palast
"Body of Secrets" -James Bamford

You can actually find these books quite easily on the edonkey network

[Kenneth ken]

6. a question

First, I will say I thought it was a very good book in terms of providing an easily readable overview of how US foreign policy is carried out. On that basis, I agree it is a must-read.

But, did his description of his work and his role seem a bit 'off' to you? I thought he tended to paint himself as some sort of spy, or near-spy, and all his work clandestine and covert, when in fact it seemed to be an open 'secret' - in the part that covers Panama, Torrijos clearly knew what US intentions were, for just one example.

Too, his successors, the people who worked under him, he clearly implies they had no sense of intrigue or covert actions in their approach to the job.

After having mulled these thought over for a couple weeks, I decided that I think, at best, he was lured into this view of his role by his employers gaming him due to something they saw in his psychological profile. At worst, he is trying to glamorize his role, and perhaps lend it a quality of deadly earnest as a salve to his conscience for why he continued in his role as long as he did.