UPDATE: Blackwater Back to Work
The New York Times reports that Blackwater USA employees have returned to work in Iraq guarding convoys.
It was not immediately clear whether the Iraqi government had okayed the action, but it’s a good bet that it had at least given its tacit approval.
End of kerfuffle.
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Nothing like rubbing the supposed government of Iraq’s nose in the fact that they have no power at all
“Kerfuffle” – best word ever
Angela:
Indeed.
Kerfuffle is the universal wrench of descriptors, fitting nearly every situation short of Armageddon.
Who’s paying Blackwater to do the jobs soldiers would normally be doing?
Nobody. These are not jobs solders “normally” do. Of course there is very little normal about the situation in Iraq so…….
These are not military convoys they are private companies that are contracted to deliver good and hire private companies to provide security to try and ensure they get there. That has not been a military job that we have ever had to do before.
So, The kerfuffle is over, but the problem of oversight and thieir murky legal standing is not.
I’m aftraid this will just fade away, with nothing resolved. Why do I get the feeling that some powerful people like it that way/
I’m getting the gut feeling that the Iraqis view Blackwater as the Jews viewed the SS. They are accountable to no one and can kill you and your family for the ‘crime’ of merely being in the same area as the US ambassador or some other American VIP.
I read that Blackwater is being investigated for arms smuggling. For one thing, the Turks turned over serial numbers of guns recovered when capturing PKK members.
Remember all those missing weapons in Iraq? Maybe the Turks have found a few of those.
Investibate is not the same as convict, but it’s interesting how the BW name keeps cropping up.
Blackwater is being paid by…”nobody”?
What I find interesting is that with all our talk of leaving a small footprint so that we are not perceived as occupiers by the Arab world, we have a huge mercenary force in Iraq which is accountable to no one, and whose excesses have been largely ignored up until now. I guess the ideal of winning “hearts and minds” was largely window dressing for the anarchy and unending violence that we have brought to the Iraqis. Why should they respect democracy and the rule of law, when they see Blackwater employees literally untouchable by the law.
There are currently 3 ongoing investigations of Blackwater. But as we have all seen recently, many investigations lead nowhere because of stonewalling at the top and corruption of those who are supposed to be inspecting wartime activities. They haven’t lead to transparency or accountability, but are at best, all talk and no action.
Krit,
I think it’s a mistake to make this a question about ‘mercenaries’. It’s more efficient, and economic (in the long run) to hire on an as-needed bases than to create a permanent staff of employees that need to be sustained even when they are not needed.
The problem is not in the concept. The problem is in the execution. The chain of responsibility (who do they ultimately answer to?), the confusion in what set of laws apply to them, and the lack of oversight by any governement department even before we get to Conress. is the kind of thing that leads to trouble.
In all manner of contracting, the potential for corruption is great. Friendships with members of our government can lead to dangerous prefeential tratment. Again, corruption occurs wherever money is involved, and it’s certainly not limited to contracting.
Problems with BW would be best used to highlight what fixes are necessary for all security firms and all contracting. If we make this a strictly BW issue, we doom ourselves to make the same mistakes or to make other and worse mistakes in the future.
I am also dubious about the results of current investigations. Like the investigations of Abu Graib, it all seems to boil down to just finding a few low level fall guys instead of addressing the whole system., up to the top levels, where the power and responsibility lie.
BW is a symptom, not the disease.
No George, your question was
I said no one because solders don’t normaly do the jobs Blackwater gets paid for.
Bones and George -
Who pays? The taxpaers pay, as for everything done by the governement directly or on behalf of the government, via contractors.
Again Dom not the question asked
Bones-
Sorry. It seemed to me, you were talking past each other. My bad for butting in.
Doma- You are right- the problems are not limited to BW. But if you look at it from the Iraqis point of view- and what our goals have been in executing the war- its pretty obvious how having a huge mercenary force that is beyond their law can create resentment and suspicion, and perhaps encourage moderates to wish that Americans would leave or get killed by the militias.