Confessions of an Economic Hitman 6

As the book comes to a close, John Perkins begins to realize how corrupt many aspects of the government are. He gives us a little insight on this when he says "The jackals had failed. So young men and women were sent to kill and die among the desert sands," (249). The "jackals" are assassins that the CIA sent to kill Saddam Hussein, and since they failed, full blown war has erupted. Many people will die for a cause that isn't even just. Perkins makes it clear to us that he believes the whole war is about oil. He insinuates this when he says, "Could it be that from the point of view of this administration--this oil family--establishing oil supplies as well as a justification for construction contracts, were more important than fighting terrorists?"(250). He is finally beginning to realize that money and resources are the main thing that motivate people, and even government officials can be corrupt. It is this which finally pushes him to write the book.

As the story is finally being oncovered, Perkins talks of the weight that was lifted off of his chest. According to him, he had felt bad about his job the whole time he was doing it. He tells us this when he says, "I always knew that had the doubts, the pain, and the guilt not constantly nagged me, I never would have gotten out," (255). His code of ethics allowed him to break free of the corrupt system and finally do the right thing. Many others in his business would not be so lucky. He finally realizes the truth of his job when he says, "The real story is that we are living a lie,"(257). He was able to break down the wall between him and the outside world, so now he can truly relate to them and realize the atrocities which have been comitted. After seeing this, he has no choice but to right the book.