American engineering companies (Maine’s clients) to
carry out the infrastructure development projects.
Most of the time, corrupt rulers went along with the
scheme, which enriched them and their inner circle.
There were two notable exceptions however, General
Omar Torrijos of Panama and President Jaime
Roldós Aguilera of Ecuador. Both died in fier y plane
crashes in 1981. Perkins is adamant that they were
assassinated.
It is clear that Perkins himself was no angel. His
exposure of this white collar criminality may not
necessarily exhonerate him from his actions, but his
need for redemption and attempts to make amends
endear him to the reader.
Certainly, corruption on all sides still pervades the
international system, with private gain taking pride of
place as the motivating force.
It is difficult to hold large international institutions to
account and even more difficult to prevent them from
creating unwanted circumstances that they may not
even forsee.
The fact that an increasing number of world citizens
are now becoming aware of these shortcomings and
the need for them to be addressed is encouraging.
The mechanism by which concerned citizens
can address these issues however, remain elusive.
Shortcomings such as these are rife in the
international economic system. This is a particularly
difficult nut to crack.
Perhaps Perkins brings his own prejudice to his
writing compunded by guilt and hence choose to take
the angle that he did.
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