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From its first contract to the explosion of work Blackwater maneuvered itself into in the aftermath of post-Saddam Iraq, the blatant corruption of Bremer and the CPA in Iraq, along with the sweetheart deals awarded by the Bush Administration's subservient and highly-partisan cronies in the Dept of Defense, are brought to light. But it is nevertheless an engaging and troubling book. Author Scahill meticulously chronicles the predatory capitalism and attendant corruption that powered this drive to privatize the defense establishment in the 90s and especially so from 2000-2007 (when the book was published). Members of the armed forces come off looking like barbarians, highlighted in an incident where an airstrike is called on a mosque.
While the book was an eye-popping and troubling read, the author's tone deserves mentioning. The impression is that the Marines involved callously destroyed the religious center, but what is left out is that if a religious structure is used in a military manner (a tactic the insurgents are known to exploit) it becomes a legitimate (and regrettable) military target. Under a cynical veneer of patriotic duty and lending a helping hand to the United States' War on Terror, these mercenaries charge a fee for their service. The descriptions of the insurgency as the "bold resistance" are.aggravating. One of the main areas this ideology--coupled with the absolutist religious ideology of many neocons--was put into practice was with the defense industry. domestic and foreign policy.
Terms like "private soldiers" and "civilian contractors" simply sugarcoat the truth.Jeremy Scahill's "Blackwater" book, a highly informative expose of the notorious mercenary company, covers the company's rise from an idea among ex-military members to the heights of power and influence with the former Bush administration. Privatization of military duties became an ever-growing industry to mercenary firms, and Blackwater has been there almost from the outset. He barely disguises his contempt of anyone connected with the former administration, and the majority of the characters in the book are despicable and worthy of contempt. Perhaps the author could have become more acquainted with the military and the insurgency's tactics in writing that portion of his book. The rise to prominence of the Blackwater mercenary group and others like it is a troubling development, particularly as these groups steadily scheme their way into U.S. With the rise of the neocons in the 1990s came an almost religious ideology where government was the enemy and privatization was the answer.
But he paints with a broad brush in one area--the military.
This writing pounds home the fact that those who defend the use of such an army should be cognizant that this and others like it contemplate working for the other side, if there is more profit to be had there. The hunger for profit outweighed all. Patriots. I find the uncontested history of Blackwater's antics to be nothing new, tell-tale signs of glaring war profiteering, patently obvious to all but the most parochial of readers. Any failure thereof has been a failure of our President and our country. The taxpayer paid a price only surpassed by the bloodier victims of this diabolical opportunism.
Any army paid by our tax dollars must be allegiant to our country first, under the penalties of treason for violation of that oath, in direct chain of command to the President. The number of one-star reviews, obviously written by individuals who didn't bother to read this work (some even written before its release), continue the story begun in its pages. From highly skilled, very dangerous low-level Chilean war criminals, to flunkies from anywhere on the globe they could get them, Blackwater built an army for hire. The makeup of this and other private armies is multi-national and devoted to itself alone.
His research is flawed, using false statistics to prove points. This guy is a complete propagandist.His book is shameful. I bet he is a 911 truther. The author just today on Bill Maher show, said that we shouldn't even go to Afghanistan. He also believes that any civilian who died in the Iraq War is the fault of the United States. His book is another ultra-liberal conspiracy theory.
He also believes that any civilian who died in the Iraq War is the fault of the United States. His research is flawed, using false statistics to prove points. The author just today on Bill Maher show, said that we shouldn't even go to Afghanistan. This guy is a complete propagandist.His book is shameful.
It is a must read in my opinion. I find that this book is one of the best I have read. If you don't know much about Blackwater & the Iraq War, read this book and your eyes may begin to open.
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