A Game as Old As Empire:
The Secret World of Economic Hit Men
And the Web of Global Corruption

A Game As Old As Empire is the first follow-up book to the international bestseller, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, by John Perkins. As a contributing author, Ellen Augustine presents a compelling overview of the dark underpinnings of our lifestyle — and what we can do in our everyday lives to create a positive future.

A web of corruption has richly advantaged world financial institutions and multinational corporations, making a few very wealthy while devastating third world countries, the planet, and quality of life for the rest of us. Cracks are appearing and we can precipitate a shift — with simple actions anyone can take.

What you don’t know is hurting you, third world peoples, and the very planet on which we depend for survival.

World Bank policies touch every day of our lives. Cheap clothes, electronics, and other goods are made possible in large part by World Bank policies for poor countries. But while it seems we’re the winners, benefiting from an abundance of cheap goods, global transport is a significant contributor to global warming. This economic system is also driving wages down to the lowest common denominator. People hesitate to ask for a raise because they know the corporate response will be to threaten to move abroad--where workers are even more desperate, and will work for a less-than-survival wage.

What is the corporate/World Bank/U.S. government connection? An American is always the President of the World Bank, and official documents show that the U.S. government considers the World Bank “an instrument of American foreign policy.” World Bank loans come with conditions — a major one being they must set up Export Processing Zones. These are areas where poor countries must construct buildings and set up telecommunications and infrastructure for the multinational corporations. They can then charge only low rents for the buildings and low fees for utilities. The multinationals receive tax exemptions, and pay workers less than minimum wage. After 3 decades of these types of loans, countries are poorer than before and more heavily indebted, with more toxins polluting the water and air.

So is all the cheap stuff we get from the Export Processing Zones really making us more happy? Decades of studies show that after a certain baseline of comfort has been achieved, more stuff does not equate to more happiness. Often quite the contrary.

Though this may seem like an overwhelming situation, Ellen can help you clearly understand the basic issues and easy do-able steps you can take to bring greater well-being to Third World peoples and ourselves. You can, for example, “Buy Local,” and find goods made without sweatshop labor in Co-op America’s National Green Pages. You can also join the Jubilee USA campaign for debt relief for poor countries.

Each person’s small individual actions add to a cresting wave of change. As Gandhi said, “Almost anything you do will seem insignificant, but it is most important that you do it.“

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