The book of Mr. Perkins was recommended to me by a prominent attorney from a major U.S. law firm. Certainly, he saw the legal complications in this situation. He believes that Perkins was correct. So I do.
Granted, one of Perkins' core criticisms -- the corruption and abuse in Third World lending and grant programs -- is well-proven in a wide range of official reports and investigations. Notably, the George W. Bush administration took up the cause of reform, if with limited results. A 2012 Forbes article offers a glimpse into the subject: World Bank Spins Out Of Control: Corruption, Dysfunction Await New President.
Instead of relying on such evidence, from Perkins we get screwball, self-glorifying conspiracy theories. More generally, Perkins contends that spying, lending, and aid programs and the burdens that they place on Third World countries are part of the way that the US projects and maintains power in the world. Boo-hoo! What is so bad about that, even assuming that the bulk of Perkins' account is true?
Most Third World countries are utterly and hopelessly corrupt and dysfunctional, run by predatory elites, and populated by wretched people with rotten cultures. For the US to use lending and aid to keep such countries in line seems to me to be preferable to the likely alternatives. On the whole, to keep peace and protect ourselves in a chaotic and dangerous world, I would rather send dollars in aid and loans than to have to send aircraft carriers, JDAMs, and the Marines.