Inside the Dragon's Strategy: John Perkins on China's Global Impact

John Perkins is the author of the legendary book Confessions of an Economic Hitman, which first appeared on the show in Episode 71. He has now published an updated version of the book titled Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, 3rd Edition – China’s EHM Strategy; Ways to Stop the Global Takeover, featuring 12 new chapters breaking down how China has essentially become the world’s “economic hitman.” Longtime listeners will surely recognize that John and I share some differing world views, and I certainly do not endorse his beliefs on things like white supremacy, climate change, vegetarianism and feminism, to name a few. Nonetheless, his experience and insights are incredibly valuable, and you will certainly learn a ton from this conversation.    TODAY'S CONVERSATION WITH JOHN PERKINS: Listen in to hear John explain in detail what an “Economic Hitman” - or “EHM” strategy is from his own personal experience implementing it on behalf of first-world nations and banking elites and how he came to understand the dark side of what he was doing.  John details the predatory nature of the EHM strategy and the devastating effects it has had on third-world nations. You won’t believe the shocking statistics about the average age in Africa.   Hear John reveal the nefarious methods the EHM strategists use to manipulate statistics like GDP to display positive effects on the economy while the underlying reality paints a much bleaker picture for the citizens of the nations targeted by it. Then we discuss  the difference between honest entrepreneurship - the kind that I practice in my business - and “cronyism” or “predatory capitalism.” John explains how China has shifted its own economic hitman strategy under President Xi Jinping over the last ten years and their nefarious motivations for doing so.  We dig into what John describes as the “death economy” - as the EHM competition between the leaders of China and the United States wreaks economic havoc across the globe. John and I further discuss current global political issues and the different levels of attention conflicts in Ukraine and Yemen receive from the media and the general public. John drives home how many individuals have embraced changes in the last three years and the need to change our perception of our current socio-economic and governmental systems. We discuss the very different perceptions of “success” in Latin America and how things like spending time with family and friends often take higher priority than the gain of material goods in that region.  Lastly, we discuss China’s increasingly interwoven relationship with Latin America and the impacts, both positive and negative, on the region. ...