I saw this extract on the Times website yesterday. It's an interesting read, I'll probably order the book after my exams are done. Anyway, I thought I'd share the extract - can't review the book I'm afraid.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/ ... 504199.ece
Enjoy.
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Blackwater
It's well researched and pretty scary. I remember reading 'spicy Tim's' (Lt Col Spicer of the Scotts Guards and latterly Sandline and now Aegis) book about Private Military Company's a while back and he made a reasonably convincing argument for them based on what Executive Outcomes (notorious South African company) were able to achieve for foreign investors in Southern Africa.
After reading Blackwater I take it all back...a truly dreadful idea. These companies if allowed to exist at all should be subject at the very least to the same constraints as regular forces (preferably more) but what do we have now? A private army with very good political connections whose operatives can do much as they please with impunity - that's really going to win us friends abroad
I think the book mentions that about one third of the reconstruction budget (you know, replacing the stuff we destroyed) has been spent on 'security'. That is criminal.
My biggest objection is that, with so much money to be made, these companies have no interest in peace and in a sense they are able to create their own market by stirring things up. I'm not necessarily drawing a connection but the book describes the contractor's deaths in Fallujah very well.
Less of a review than a partial rant but there you go. Well worth a read.
After reading Blackwater I take it all back...a truly dreadful idea. These companies if allowed to exist at all should be subject at the very least to the same constraints as regular forces (preferably more) but what do we have now? A private army with very good political connections whose operatives can do much as they please with impunity - that's really going to win us friends abroad
I think the book mentions that about one third of the reconstruction budget (you know, replacing the stuff we destroyed) has been spent on 'security'. That is criminal.
My biggest objection is that, with so much money to be made, these companies have no interest in peace and in a sense they are able to create their own market by stirring things up. I'm not necessarily drawing a connection but the book describes the contractor's deaths in Fallujah very well.
Less of a review than a partial rant but there you go. Well worth a read.
Per Flank, Per Tank
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misterpurple
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Dangermouse
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I havent read this one yet myself, although I should have since i'm writting an essay on PMCs this very moment. Anyway, the majority of books about PMCs seem to be one of two things - either entirely against PMCs (such authors usually confuse contractors with mercenaries - they are different - although they are faithfully concerned about democracy and sovereignty), or entirely for them (defence experts and economists mainly).
A good book about PMCs, their roles and the restraints possibly needed is Market For Force by Deborah Avant, a more neutral analysis that lets you decide what you think about them yourself.
http://www.amazon.com/Market-Force-Cons ... 0521615356
A good book about PMCs, their roles and the restraints possibly needed is Market For Force by Deborah Avant, a more neutral analysis that lets you decide what you think about them yourself.
http://www.amazon.com/Market-Force-Cons ... 0521615356
True, EO did do good work in Sierra Leone, but it was quite different there in that they had quite a free reign as I understand (Dangermouse might correct this). They were literally taking on a force of rebels. Blackwater, in comparison, are in Iraq to protect US dignitaries etc, and manage to get in to quite a few contacts, supposedly more than a lot of other companies. I'm pretty sure EO is still around Africa now, one of our professors was saying today that they're used by a lot of the geological companies in Africa to protect their people on the ground.
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Dangermouse
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Dangermouse
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I've been reading Blackwater and although i've still got a quarter of the book to go, I have to say that it is very poor.
The book is interesting and well-written, but Scahill has seemed to use it as critique of US foreign policy and the Bush administration rather than Blackwater itself. He presents Blackwater not as a private-military company, but as a private army run by a Christian fundamentalist and gives the impression that Blackwater is the armed wing of christian neo-conservatives who threaten US democracy by physically threatening Washington.
There are important issues that need to be addressed, such as lack of overisight and accountability of private contractors. Yet, when Scahill mentions these he fails to address the problems themselves, instead prefering to use these very questions as an attack on Blackwater itself. This gives me the impression that Scahill would oppose Blackwater even if these issues were resolved.
It is a very misleading book. Well-written and captivating, but extremely misleading.
The book is interesting and well-written, but Scahill has seemed to use it as critique of US foreign policy and the Bush administration rather than Blackwater itself. He presents Blackwater not as a private-military company, but as a private army run by a Christian fundamentalist and gives the impression that Blackwater is the armed wing of christian neo-conservatives who threaten US democracy by physically threatening Washington.
There are important issues that need to be addressed, such as lack of overisight and accountability of private contractors. Yet, when Scahill mentions these he fails to address the problems themselves, instead prefering to use these very questions as an attack on Blackwater itself. This gives me the impression that Scahill would oppose Blackwater even if these issues were resolved.
It is a very misleading book. Well-written and captivating, but extremely misleading.
It's a shame really, what happened to the 'Black' Jaques and the 'Mad' Mikes!!! I guess it was inevitable, the corporate world takes over to such an extent that any freelancer is muscled out, not necessarily a bad thing but a symptom of the modern age. Actually the owner was a former SEAL who happened to inherit many millions and decided to use it on his familiar and beloved job. I'd love to know what connections he had to get blackwater the contracts it had or what deals he had to do but sadly such information is always very hard to come by.
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Dangermouse
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