Whether the “Government” of Iraq has any authority in its own country will be tested by the ability to make their banning of Blackwater stick. Most governments might be expected to object to having scores of thousands of foreign mercenaries roaming around their land, threatening the populace and occasionally massacring them.
Over 80% of the money spent by the US on “reconstruction” in Iraq has gone under the heading of “security”, mostly to companies like Blackwater and Aegis, their UK counterpart. The US is now trying to put on pressure by suspending all aid projects until Blackwater is reinstated. As their efforts this last four years have undeniably left Iraqis much worse off than before, they should be told where to get off.
If anyone doesn’t understand how these mercenary companies operate, they should view the infamous “Aegis Trophy Video”, originally put up on Aegis website by their employees as a macabre souvenir. In fact everyone should watch this – and remember this is not a movie, those are real human beings murdered for fun.
http://www.flurl.com/uploaded/Bareknucklepoliticscom_EXCLUSIVE_10122.html
The comment by the ex mercenary under the video is also worth taking in.
I feel terribly sorry for the soldiers who have ended up in this futile war. But for mercenaries I have no time at all. They kill people for money. If they are killed themselves, my sympathy is still there, but strained. One story which went peculiarly quiet was the five mercenaries, four British, from “Garda World” who were kidnapped at end May along with the consultant they were protecting. The kidnap involved over a hundred properly accredited Iraqi security personnel with the right uniforms, documents and weapons. What happened to the mercenaries, and to their client? Why did the whole story get a miniscule percentage of the publicity given routinely to Brit hostages?
The Garda World mercenaries had a peculiar relationship with the MI6 informant and neo-con alcoholic, the Rev Canon Andrew White, quite the strangest creature to come out of the generally admirable Church of England for many years. He left Baghdad shortly after this kidnap. Any connection?
More dirt on the neo-con alcoholic Rev Canon Andrew White and the Garda World mercenaries, please Craig!
Sounds like something that might have been in a Father Ted episode. Except this is Iraq, and so is probably not funny at all.
Blackstone? Is this related to Blackwater?
I'd have thought it fairly clear Iraqi national sovereignty is … limited. For example, they seem to be strongly opposed to the US' alliance with Sunni tribes. That's a part of what this very interesting video shows:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C223AE63-C…
Craig, unfortunately that 'flurl' site is infested with the 'performanceoptimiser' bollocks that may catch out some non-IT-savvy people.
Iraq is not a sovereign or independent country. It is an occupied country. It does not have a real national government which controls the country anymore. The government was 'elected' but under the supervision of the occupying power which is the United States. It is the United States that in reality rules and controls Iraq. Simple because they have the largest armed for in the country. The Iraqi 'government' has no real or effective army. The Iraqi state has been automized and destroyed by the Americans. Iraq will remain an occupied country until all the oil has been squeezed out to the last drop.
You're quite right to suggest that mercenaries kill for money, but in the case of Blackwater that's not entirely true. Their 'security' personnel also seem to kill for 'fun'. Of course they are not alone, but it will be interesting to see whether the Iraqi government has the courage to do what it is threatening to do – and that is expel these depraved monsters. I doubt it somehow. Blackwater are too well connected to various 'businessmen' in the United States.