More on economic hit men

John Perkins' Confessions of an Economic Hit Man was a disturbing and intimate view of the true intent and tragic consequences of the 'aid' we offer emerging nations. If you haven't read the book, which was on the NYT's bestseller list for over a year, you should. If you don't have the time, check out this wonderfully caustic summary -- it'll only take a minute.

The sales of Perkins' confession (over a half-million copies) ensured that we would be hearing more on this subject. And so we are. Perkin's publisher Berrett-Koehler just released a follow-up titled A Game as Old as Empire, a collection of a dozen more examples of the impact of political and corporate scheming on already-struggling nations edited by Steven Hiatt.

Perkins contributed the introduction to B-K's new book, but soon will be competing with his former publisher -- the only one he could find willing to take on Confessions. His second book, The Secret History of American Empire: Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and the Truth about Global Corruption, is due out this summer from Dutton.