John Perkins – The Economic Hit Man.

Have you ever heard or read about a former economist who claims he wasn’t paid to invade countries; he was paid to convince them to surrender willingly instead. Who says the world’s most powerful weapon isn’t an aircraft carrier. It’s debt.

If the answer is no, then you’re in for an absolute treat today.

Because today I’d like to introduce you to that former economist.

His name is John Perkins who was formerly a Chief Economist and who wrote the New York Times bestseller book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.

According to Perkins, he was a trained operative hired to execute a debt-trap strategy designed by U.S. intelligence agencies. The goal was to force developing nations into massive debt, leaving them no choice but to yield political control, allow U.S. military bases, or grant American corporations cheap access to local natural resources.

How did he do it? He created highly optimistic economic projections for developing nations. Then, he used these inflated forecasts to convince target countries to take out massive loans from international institutions like the World Bank or the IMF.

Does that sound like the current AI hyperscalers to you! But I digress.

Here’s a quick breakdown of how this was designed to work. The loan money never actually reached the local citizens.

Instead, it went directly to major U.S. engineering and construction firms (like Bechtel and Chas. T. Main) to build massive infrastructure projects like power grids and ports.

When these countries inevitably could not pay back the debt, the U.S. government and corporations stepped in to demand control of their natural resources (like oil) or political votes at the United Nations.

When an Economic Hit Man (or EHM) fails to bribe or indebt a leader, Perkins claims the “Jackals” (CIA-sanctioned assassins) are sent in. In 1981, two nationalist leaders he was actively dealing with died in mysterious plane crashes just months apart: President Jaime Roldós Aguilera of Ecuador and military leader Omar Torrijos of Panama.

If the Jackals fail, the final step of the system is direct military intervention. Perkins cites Iraq as the ultimate example in his book. He claims the U.S. first tried to bring Saddam Hussein into the system through massive infrastructure packages.

When Hussein refused to fully submit, the Jackals couldn’t get to him because his personal security was too tight. The final, costly resort was the 2003 U.S. invasion and his eventual overthrow.

You’ll simply never hear or read anything like this in 2026. However, Shephard Walwyn (SW) have pulled off the scoop of the decade in getting John Perkins to sit down with SW’s own Jonathan Brown for a podcast.

In this exclusive podcast episode, Jonathan Brown asks Perkins a highly uncomfortable, satirical question:

“Suppose I wanted to become Prime Minister. Using everything you learnt as an Economic Hit Man… how would I do it?”

Through a sharp, satirical lens, Perkins breaks down the four pillars that still underpin political manipulation today: fear, debt, scarcity, and division.

This podcast goes way deeper than just political dark arts.

He also explains why GDP has become a dangerous political tool and a misleading measure of prosperity. According to Perkins, GDP tracks the soaring profits of large corporations and asset owners, while ordinary people see zero improvement in their daily lives.

Plus, many more subjects. Whether you agree with John Perkins or not, one thing is certain.

Few people have challenged the way we think about debt, development, and political power as forcefully as he has.

And that makes this conversation well worth your time.

This podcast is a must-watch.

You can watch it here, or click the image below