" Fear and debt. The two most powerful tools of empire... Most everybody thinks military might is the driver of empire, but war's important because it--and the threat of it--instills fear. People are terrified into parting with their money. They take on more debt... Whether we owe money or favors, debt shackles us. That's why the economic hit man approach is so effective. More so than war. "

― John Perkins , Confessions of an Economic Hit Man