Book Review: The Secret History of the American Empire: Economic Hit Men, Jackals & the Truth about Corporate Corruption by John Perkins
Published over a decade ago, this book is even more relevant today—providing a practical road map to reforming the corporate oligarchy and shutting down exploitative capitalism. John Perkins starts by recounting much of this history in a first person narrative—context and background that were deliberately omitted from the history books and live media reports we’ve all grown up with. This book fills in gaps of what you may already have known about events such as the installation of the Shah in Iran or the Pinochet government in Chile. Perkins illuminates how these seemingly remote details have a direct connection to the relatively comfortable lives enjoyed by middle class people in the developed world—many of whom are oblivious to their being on the menu for similar exploitation and oppression.
Perkins takes the reader on a world tour encompassing south Asia, South America, the Middle East, and Africa. It’s a first hand account of bribes, threats, and assassinations—whatever it takes—to secure resources, power, and influence for multi-national corporations. Governments, including the US Government, are for the most part just tools of this power structure, relegated to doing its bidding and taking the blame for its excesses and other mistakes. On display in these accounts are the abject poverty of sweat shop workers, the forced compromise of officials elected by large majorities to serve the interests of their people, the displacement of populations that are simply in the way of land coveted by client corporations, and the wanton devastation of natural resources—all for the sake of short term profits.
Many people mistakenly believed that the election of Barack Obama a year after the publication of this book would result in a reversal of the oligarch-friendly orientation of the outgoing Bush administration. Although this book was written prior to the Obama administration, it provides a ready explanation of why such a transformation never occurred. At the current time (2020 just prior to the November election) the actions of the Trump administration and Senate Republicans have laid bare for many who were not aware already the unholy influence corporate oligarchs have on all levels of government and society—it’s correctly called fascism. Knowing this background, a possible (likely at this time) incoming Biden administration would not, by itself, result in the full course correction needed. Whether Biden wins or, possibly through some Electoral College sleight of hand, there is a second Trump term, the bad habits of the corporate oligarchy will not automatically go away. Its reformation will need a little help from its friends—you and me.
Economic inequity, further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has reached the point that simmering beneath the surface is an increasing impetus for (still unlikely, fortunately) revolution. Such an event would be disastrous by any account—not only do the wrong people have a fondness for guns, but corporate jackals are well trained and practiced for this exact situation. Even if the “good” side prevails in any fighting, the instinct (or actual need) to crack down on remaining opposition could still snuff out any remaining hint of functional democracy—we don’t need another Robespierre’s la Terreur, especially where the sans-culottes are still short of bread. And the corporate oligarchs would be stronger than ever. What to do?
Perkins’ book from 2007 provides a practical approach that’s viable in our own decade—become a stock holder and start changing things from the inside. Any person or organization can purchase stock in any publicly owned company, and stock holders have a place at the table in setting company policy. Start rewarding corporate executives for being socially responsible. Demand long range planning over short term profits—after all, you’re the investor. Demand fair treatment of workers, and include them on company boards. Better yet, insist that local community members are included on company boards. All the Federalist Society judges in all the packed courts would have minimal influence on internal corporate deliberations. In the book, Perkins describes how some non-profit organizations were doing just that in 2007. A concerted similar effort among a critical mass of NGOs today could magnify small donor impact. Even with the Citizens United decision still standing (another event after this book’s publication), corporate messages could be very different from what they are now. The ideas in this book appear to have stood the test of time. It’s cause for hope—and action.
—