I was recently pleased to hear that Blackwater have finally been kicked out of Iraq.
Ever heard of Blackwater? I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't, but they've had quite a hand in world affairs of late. Basically they are the people involved when you hear the phrase 'Private Contractor' in Iraq. "Private contractor killed in roadside bombing", oh dear, was he a plumber there to restore water to orphanages? No, he is a Mercenary, a gun for hire. The role of mercenaries or PMCs (Private Military Companies) in the Iraq war has been largely glossed over but they are there in huge numbers. A 2005 report puts the number at 20,000. That's almost as many troops as the US have in Afghanistan at the moment.
The term Military Industrial Complex refers to the relationship between the military and the private defence companies that are contracted to provide them with weapons and support. War is good for business and all that. The war in Iraq 'cost' a trillion dollars, but where does that money actually go? It has to be spent somewhere, and it is, it's spend on equipment, research, construction etc all carried out by private companies. Some genius decided that there was a huge sector of the War Machine that was unprofitably being run in house, namely the soldiers. So they have started privatising that. Hence the PMCs.
Why would you use PMCs instead of regular Army? Well it's basically the same reason you use contractors in any situation. They guarantee the skills and they, not you, are responsible for what they get up to. Paul Bremer, the first Director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (read Governor) of Iraq was a big fan of PMCs and in the aftermath of the invasion he gave the PMCs full immunity to Iraqi laws. As immune the US military was to any sort of criticism, they were still accountable to the military judicial system. Blackwater and the other PMCs on the other hand were immune to Iraqi law and military scrutiny. So basically they were able to do whatever the hell they wanted.
A bunch of ex-special forces guys with shitloads of cash and a cowboy attitude were running around Iraq doing God knows what with no fear of recriminations for their murderous actions. And they were murderous. Google "Blackwater deaths" to get a sense of how these boys operated.
Well, thank God, they have finally been banned from operating in Iraq. What did it take to get people to focus attention on them? The murder of 17 civilians in an Iraqi market.
If you want to see how these boys roll check out this video. It's not Blackwater but another PMC called Aegis. Sickening disregard for human life. Their job is to guard people, which translates into kill anyone who comes too close, be they militant or mother.
Ever heard of Blackwater? I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't, but they've had quite a hand in world affairs of late. Basically they are the people involved when you hear the phrase 'Private Contractor' in Iraq. "Private contractor killed in roadside bombing", oh dear, was he a plumber there to restore water to orphanages? No, he is a Mercenary, a gun for hire. The role of mercenaries or PMCs (Private Military Companies) in the Iraq war has been largely glossed over but they are there in huge numbers. A 2005 report puts the number at 20,000. That's almost as many troops as the US have in Afghanistan at the moment.
The term Military Industrial Complex refers to the relationship between the military and the private defence companies that are contracted to provide them with weapons and support. War is good for business and all that. The war in Iraq 'cost' a trillion dollars, but where does that money actually go? It has to be spent somewhere, and it is, it's spend on equipment, research, construction etc all carried out by private companies. Some genius decided that there was a huge sector of the War Machine that was unprofitably being run in house, namely the soldiers. So they have started privatising that. Hence the PMCs.
Why would you use PMCs instead of regular Army? Well it's basically the same reason you use contractors in any situation. They guarantee the skills and they, not you, are responsible for what they get up to. Paul Bremer, the first Director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (read Governor) of Iraq was a big fan of PMCs and in the aftermath of the invasion he gave the PMCs full immunity to Iraqi laws. As immune the US military was to any sort of criticism, they were still accountable to the military judicial system. Blackwater and the other PMCs on the other hand were immune to Iraqi law and military scrutiny. So basically they were able to do whatever the hell they wanted.
A bunch of ex-special forces guys with shitloads of cash and a cowboy attitude were running around Iraq doing God knows what with no fear of recriminations for their murderous actions. And they were murderous. Google "Blackwater deaths" to get a sense of how these boys operated.
Well, thank God, they have finally been banned from operating in Iraq. What did it take to get people to focus attention on them? The murder of 17 civilians in an Iraqi market.
Prosecutors said the guards unleashed a gruesome attack on unarmed Iraqis, with the dead including young children, women, people fleeing in cars and a man whose arms were raised in surrender as he was shot in the chest.
If you want to see how these boys roll check out this video. It's not Blackwater but another PMC called Aegis. Sickening disregard for human life. Their job is to guard people, which translates into kill anyone who comes too close, be they militant or mother.
Bastards. Good riddance to Blackwater, but it's one down, hundreds to go I'm afraid.
4 comments:
Good riddance I say. Funny how someone like David Hicks is a fanatical mercenary, but once you're working for the Yanks, you're a private contractor.
Yea, at least the US army had the good grace to yell 'he's got a gun' before killing civies. I heard of one charmer who used to love nothing more than to drive along and shoot random people in the back of the head.
And before anybody says :
'But the terrorists blow people up without warning!!'
Thats why they are called terrorists, and are baddies.
Ok you are officially a slack blogging-type-person. Its nearly a month since last post.
If they called the company Whitewater this would never have been an issue.
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