There are over 180,000 soldiers from private organizations like Blackwater in Iraq. I watched an interview with a guy thet wrote a book on it, and he says that the reason why Blackwater was not pulled from Iraq after the shooting incident was because the situation would fall apart without the additional support. He also claimed that the problem with Blackwater is that because it is not associated with a country, it is not held to the same laws and rules of engagement as the regular military, which makes them accountable to nobody.
2007-09-24 02:26:13 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
whoops...sorry about the typos
2007-09-24 02:29:13 · update #1
Sorry...don't have a link...saw it on tv.
2007-09-24 02:37:48 · update #2
Yes, I was aware of that and made mention of it in one of my answers many weeks ago. That's another prime example of why I don't see us pulling out.
There are more political ties involved than most people realize.
2007-09-24 02:31:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 8⤊ 1⤋
The Christian Science Monitor reports that there are 20,000 to 30,000 private security forces in Iraq (http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0920/p01s05-wome.html) .This coincides with numbers from other nonpartisan sites which I have seen. The 180,000 number represents ALL civilian workers.
Nonetheless, the private security firms are a result of entering an unpopular war, ill prepared for the consequences. What do you think it does to troop morale when the President denies them a 3.5% pay raise while they are working next to a mercenary making six figures?
Bremer also issued a directive that private security officers cannot be prosecuted for crimes committed in Iraq. They have a license to kill.
2007-09-24 02:43:37 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Incidents like the recent one where they shot up a bunch of Iraqi people around them have been fairly common amongst these private armies. They're notorious for having itchy trigger fingers and for wildly shooting at anything that they please. There has been alot of resentment amongst Iraqis over this behavior, and Blackwater has helped to turn many of them against us.
It's frightening how far the republicans are willing to go in order to privatize as much of our government as they can. They have even begun to allow private firms to replace our military. These companies don't have to answer to the American people and do as they please. The sooner Blackwater is put out of business the better.
2007-09-24 02:36:44 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I think it’s pretty much common knowledge that the government gives huge security contracts to private firms because the special agents and the military can’t handle all the heavy security that Iraq requires.
2007-09-24 02:42:04 · answer #4 · answered by relevant inquiry 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes. That's just another way to distort the situation in Iraq. It is clear that Iraq is about private corporate interests and that it has nothing to do with security, democracy or terrorism. And security personnel? More like mercenaries - don't appear in official numbers and less expensive.
2007-09-24 02:30:52 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 1⤋
Go here to learn what the left says about it. Can't locate anything solid about them, as is true of any number of issues that we deal with.
Try and remember who brought blankets to the American natives over 300 years ago in peace and love. They were slightly used by people who had smallpox, but I suppose love has no boundaries!
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Blackwater_USA#About_Blackwater_USA
America: Loving people to death since 1492.
2007-09-24 04:06:24 · answer #6 · answered by Migsoon 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think he was using those numbers in reference to subcontractors in general, not mercenaries. Government estimates only 20 to 30K private security forces in Iraq.
Still, the problem remains the same. Who do these guys answer to?
2007-09-24 02:45:52 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
The Iraqi govt dont want them to operate there but they dont have the power to remove them from operating in the country. THis is just grandstanding by the iraqi govt., the one who makes the decision for Blackwater security to be banned or not banned is the US.
2016-05-17 09:08:27 · answer #8 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah… they are basically a well trained republic guard…
After some thought… while I was at the book store this weekend I breezed through a book outlining the mercenary threat that organizations like Blackwater poses… where are we as a nation headed?
I am smart enough to know that when a dictator starts using organizations like that to police the nation, heads roll regardless of your political affiliation….
2007-09-24 02:30:21 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 4⤋
They should be outlawed. they are just a bunch of trigger happy mercenary fools, and they can achieve nothing good for anyone, America should tell them to get the hell out of there.
2007-09-24 03:13:24 · answer #10 · answered by niddlie diddle 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋