Economic Hit Man Details His Experiences Exploiting Latin America & the Middle East

John Perkins, Thursday, October 14, 2010

8pm, Soldiers & Sailors Auditorium - 4141 Fifth Avenue (Oakland)

John Perkins, NY Times Bestselling Author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

Corporate greed, corruption, and irresponsible policies were the forces that guided the work John Perkins did as an “Economic Hit Man” in the developing world. Perkins visits Pittsburgh for the first time to discuss how he went from the Peace Corps to brokering deals that left the developing world’s rich richer, while the poor were further marginalized. His work across Latin America and the Middle East will provide great insight to students—prospective policy makers, industry leaders, and social agents of change—on the very issues that continue to plague our geopolitical climate. Today, Perkins donates all proceeds from his speaking engagements to his nonprofit work which includes environmental sustainability efforts and human rights initiatives in the Amazon rainforest region. Some key topics Perkins will cover include corporate responsibility, ethics in both the public and private sector, and sustainable environmental practices.

As Chief Economist at a major international consulting firm, Perkins advised the World Bank, United Nations, IMF, U.S. Treasury Department, Fortune 500 corporations, and countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. During the 1980s, he was CEO of an alternative energy company that was a pioneer in developing environmentally beneficial power plants. He worked directly with heads of state and CEOs of major companies to promote and develop the types of projects described in Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, a book that spent more than sixty-five weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

Following his lecture, Perkins will take questions from the audience and sign books for attendees. All three books detailing his work will be available for purchase including Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, The Secret History of the American Empire, and his newest book released last year Hoodwinked.

Event sponsors are: University of Pittsburgh's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business & College of Business Administration, International Business Center, Center for Latin American Studies, Global Studies, Graduate School of Public & International Affairs, Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership, David Berg Center for Ethics & Leadership, Matthew B. Ridgway Center for International Security Studies, Graduate Professional Student Assembly, and Carnegie Mellon University.

The event is free and open to the public.