Narrator: In the early 1980s, two charismatic Latin American leaders, President Jaime Roldós of Ecuador and General Omar Torrijos of Panama, shared a common vision. Both were fiercely independent, dedicated to improving the lives of their people, and openly defiant of the global empire being built by a fraternity of corporate, banking, and government heads. Both men had been clients of an American consultant named John Perkins, who had tried and failed to bring them into a web of debt and control. Then, within months of each other, both leaders died in fiery plane crashes. To the world, these were tragic accidents. But to those on the inside, they were assassinations—a clear and brutal message to anyone who dared to resist.

In his book, The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, John Perkins claims these were no accidents. He asserts they were the work of "jackals," CIA-sanctioned assassins sent in when he and his colleagues—the Economic Hit Men, or EHMs—failed. The book is his detailed exposé of this hidden system, a global machine built to serve corporate interests through deception, bribery, and, when necessary, murder.

Narrator: At the heart of Perkins's narrative is the clandestine role of the Economic Hit Man. EHMs are highly paid professionals, often operating under the guise of legitimate consultants for firms like the one Perkins worked for, Chas. T. Main, Inc. (MAIN). Their true mission, however, is to manipulate developing countries for the benefit of a "corporatocracy"—a powerful alliance of corporations, banks, and governments.

Perkins recounts his own recruitment, which began with an NSA profile and led to his training by a seductive and manipulative woman named Claudine. She laid out his assignment in stark terms: he was to mold himself into an EHM. The job was shrouded in secrecy, with Claudine warning him, "No one can know about your involvement—not even your wife... Once you’re in, you’re in for life." The EHM’s primary objectives were twofold. First, to justify enormous international loans for infrastructure projects that would be contracted out to US corporations. Second, to ensure these projects would ultimately fail to generate enough revenue, bankrupting the country and leaving it trapped in a cycle of debt. This financial servitude would make the nation politically dependent on the United States, guaranteeing access to its resources and strategic loyalty.

Narrator: Perkins presents the 1974 deal with Saudi Arabia as the ultimate EHM success story, a masterstroke of economic manipulation. Following the 1973 oil embargo, the US was desperate to secure its oil supply and manage the massive flow of petrodollars flooding into Saudi Arabia. The corporatocracy saw an opportunity not just to control the oil, but to launder the money back into the US economy.

Perkins and his colleagues were tasked with creating a plan. The deal they brokered was audacious: the House of Saud would invest its oil profits in US government securities. The interest from these securities would then be used to pay US corporations—like Bechtel and Halliburton—to modernize Saudi Arabia. This created a closed loop. Saudi oil money flowed to the US Treasury, which then paid US companies to build Saudi cities, industrial parks, and infrastructure. This arrangement ensured the Saudi royal family's political and military protection, made the kingdom dependent on American technology and expertise for generations, and funneled billions back into the US economy, all while bypassing congressional oversight. Perkins describes the cynical view within his firm, where Saudi Arabia was seen as "the cow we can milk until the sun sets on our retirement."

Narrator: The EHM system has a clear escalation ladder. The first step is to corrupt leaders with loans and bribes. If that fails, a more sinister tool is deployed: the jackals. Perkins defines jackals as CIA-sanctioned assassins tasked with overthrowing or eliminating leaders who refuse to bow to the corporatocracy's demands.

The fates of Jaime Roldós and Omar Torrijos serve as the book's most chilling examples. Both leaders were committed to using their countries' resources for their own people. Roldós introduced a new Hydrocarbons Policy to ensure Ecuador's oil wealth benefited its citizens, directly challenging the interests of US oil companies. Torrijos successfully negotiated the transfer of the Panama Canal from the US to Panama and was exploring a new canal project with Japanese financing, angering powerful US firms like Bechtel. Perkins and other EHMs failed to bring them to heel. Shortly thereafter, in 1981, both men were killed in separate, suspicious plane crashes. Their deaths removed two major obstacles to the global empire's agenda and sent a clear message to other world leaders about the ultimate price of defiance.

Narrator: A core argument of the book's new edition is that the EHM system has evolved and metastasized. The same tools once used to exploit developing nations are now being deployed within the United States and Europe. The modern EHM is no longer just a consultant in a foreign land; they are bankers, lobbyists, and corporate executives.

Perkins recounts a meeting with a Chase bank executive who confessed that the industry's mantra had become, "Make all the dough you can, as soon as you can, and screw everyone else." This banker described how they push unaffordable mortgages and student loans, trapping citizens in the same kind of debt servitude once reserved for foreign countries. The system is perpetuated by the "revolving door" between government and corporate America, where former politicians like Tom Daschle and Chris Dodd become high-paid lobbyists for the very industries they once regulated. The modern jackals have also evolved. They are now drone operators who kill from thousands of miles away, and special forces units who conduct secret operations with little public accountability. These actions, Perkins argues, create deep resentment abroad and erode democratic values at home.

Narrator: Despite the grim picture he paints, Perkins's book is ultimately a call to action. He argues that the "death economy"—a system built on exploiting resources, accumulating debt, and fueling fear—is unsustainable and is leading to global crises. The solution, he proposes, is to create a "life economy." This new model would be based on regenerating what has been destroyed, cleaning up pollution, and developing technologies that serve humanity and the planet.

Perkins insists that this change must be driven by individuals. He points to the power of collective action, from indigenous communities in the Amazon successfully resisting oil companies to the simple, personal decision to stop using plastic bags. He shares advice from the Dalai Lama, who stressed that while praying for peace is good, it is not enough; one must take "appropriate daily action." The book challenges readers to recognize their own complicity in the current system and to use their power as consumers, employees, and citizens to demand that corporations prioritize serving the public and the planet over maximizing short-term profits.

Narrator: The single most important takeaway from The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is that a hidden system of economic exploitation, driven by a powerful "corporatocracy," has shaped global events for decades and now poses a direct threat to democracy and sustainability everywhere. This system, which thrives on debt, fear, and public apathy, has become so ingrained that its destructive logic is now accepted as standard business practice.

Perkins leaves the reader with a profound challenge. He argues that this global empire persists not because of some grand, overarching conspiracy, but because ordinary people, through their actions or inaction, allow it to. The book forces a difficult question: now that you have seen behind the curtain, will you remain a passive component of a system that prioritizes profit over people, or will you become an active agent in the revolution to create a more just and sustainable world?