Blackwater/Xe/Paravant, and Eric Cartman
Blackwater, now known as Xe Services, began as a training facility for military and law enforcement organizations in 1990. By 2002, Blackwater had grown into a private security firm which the US government contracted for the war in Afghanistan. Since entering the war alongside US troops, Blackwater has been under constant scrutiny. One of the most notable events occurred on September 17, 2007 when Blackwater contractors operating in Iraq opened fire in Nisour Square leaving 17 dead and 20 more wounded.
The Blackwater convoy of four vehicles was documented entering the intersection and immediately turning the wrong way down a one-way street. Blackwater guards opened fire in a “random” fashion according to an Iraqi policeman, killing a 20 year old man who was driving the correct way down the street with his mother in the passenger seat. The mother began screaming hysterically as she held her son’s head which was “destroyed” according to the officer. The car continued to drift toward the Blackwater convoy, and the surrounding patrons signaled to the contractors in an effort to get them to stop shooting. It is at this point that the contractors opened heavy fire in the intersection. After all the dust settled 15 cars had been destroyed, and a number of children, mothers, and hospital workers had been killed. One Iraqi was quoted saying Blackwater forces “gestured stop, so we all stopped... It’s a secure area, so we thought it will be the usual; we would stop for a bit as convoys pass. Shortly after that they opened heavy fire randomly at the cars with no exception.” Of all the witnesses of the event, including a pharmacist, lawyer, and multiple Iraqi policemen, not a single shot was documented as being fired towards the contractors, and US inspectors found no evidence of gunfire on the Blackwater vehicles.
The Blackwater operatives who were involved with this occurrence and other multiple incidents perpetrated by Blackwater operatives have largely gone unpunished. Unlike US military personnel who typically would be tried in military court for similar unwarranted actions, Blackwater contractors have notoriously been “sent home” as punishment. Due to contractual agreements, Blackwater contractors are exempt from Iraqi law, and since they are not actually a sector of the US military, they have found themselves exempt from US military law. Multiple attempts to convict the Blackwater contractors associated with various crimes have largely been thrown out of court, and many other incidents have typically had their significance downplayed.
This past month, Iraq ordered all private security guards associated with Blackwater to leave the country. This included the Blackwater contractors who had left Blackwater for the numerous other military contractors stationed in Iraq. More notably, Blackwater, which rebranded itself Xe Services to get away from negative associations with the Blackwater name, created a shell company called Paravant to operate through Raytheon, a weapons system company. Senate investigations into Paravant have discovered that many of the issues associated with Blackwater yesterday are happening with Paravant today. The most recent of these publicized events was the unauthorized distribution of Afghan National Police assault rifles from a contractor who signed his name as “Eric Cartman”.
The issues surrounding Blackwater have been ongoing since it received its first military contract with the US. Other military contractors have profited heavily off the war as well, but Blackwater has been the leader and pioneer of the trend all along. Blackwater operatives are among some of the best in the world, and most should be commended for what they do. Furthermore, private military contractors can be seen as a way to reduce the number of recruits needed for the US military.
Unfortunately, the benefits may not outweigh the costs. Privatized military contractors typically make much more than their military counterparts, causing those who may be up for reenlistment to opt out of their military contract for a private military contract, thus costing the US government more money for the same service. Furthermore, the negative actions of Blackwater and other private military contractors have drawn very negative views of the US personnel operating in the Middle East. For example, the Nisour Square incident sparked increased hatred and distrust of the US forces in Iraq, resulting in increased anger toward US Army and Marine troops in the region. Privatization is usually a great way to get the best out of a select service/product, and in the case of Blackwater it is no different. But it is far easier to excel when the rules which apply to everyone do not apply to you, and punishment is unseen and unrecognized.
Blackwater, now known as Xe Services, began as a training facility for military and law enforcement organizations in 1990. By 2002, Blackwater had grown into a private security firm which the US government contracted for the war in Afghanistan. Since entering the war alongside US troops, Blackwater has been under constant scrutiny. One of the most notable events occurred on September 17, 2007 when Blackwater contractors operating in Iraq opened fire in Nisour Square leaving 17 dead and 20 more wounded.
The Blackwater convoy of four vehicles was documented entering the intersection and immediately turning the wrong way down a one-way street. Blackwater guards opened fire in a “random” fashion according to an Iraqi policeman, killing a 20 year old man who was driving the correct way down the street with his mother in the passenger seat. The mother began screaming hysterically as she held her son’s head which was “destroyed” according to the officer. The car continued to drift toward the Blackwater convoy, and the surrounding patrons signaled to the contractors in an effort to get them to stop shooting. It is at this point that the contractors opened heavy fire in the intersection. After all the dust settled 15 cars had been destroyed, and a number of children, mothers, and hospital workers had been killed. One Iraqi was quoted saying Blackwater forces “gestured stop, so we all stopped... It’s a secure area, so we thought it will be the usual; we would stop for a bit as convoys pass. Shortly after that they opened heavy fire randomly at the cars with no exception.” Of all the witnesses of the event, including a pharmacist, lawyer, and multiple Iraqi policemen, not a single shot was documented as being fired towards the contractors, and US inspectors found no evidence of gunfire on the Blackwater vehicles.
The Blackwater operatives who were involved with this occurrence and other multiple incidents perpetrated by Blackwater operatives have largely gone unpunished. Unlike US military personnel who typically would be tried in military court for similar unwarranted actions, Blackwater contractors have notoriously been “sent home” as punishment. Due to contractual agreements, Blackwater contractors are exempt from Iraqi law, and since they are not actually a sector of the US military, they have found themselves exempt from US military law. Multiple attempts to convict the Blackwater contractors associated with various crimes have largely been thrown out of court, and many other incidents have typically had their significance downplayed.
This past month, Iraq ordered all private security guards associated with Blackwater to leave the country. This included the Blackwater contractors who had left Blackwater for the numerous other military contractors stationed in Iraq. More notably, Blackwater, which rebranded itself Xe Services to get away from negative associations with the Blackwater name, created a shell company called Paravant to operate through Raytheon, a weapons system company. Senate investigations into Paravant have discovered that many of the issues associated with Blackwater yesterday are happening with Paravant today. The most recent of these publicized events was the unauthorized distribution of Afghan National Police assault rifles from a contractor who signed his name as “Eric Cartman”.
The issues surrounding Blackwater have been ongoing since it received its first military contract with the US. Other military contractors have profited heavily off the war as well, but Blackwater has been the leader and pioneer of the trend all along. Blackwater operatives are among some of the best in the world, and most should be commended for what they do. Furthermore, private military contractors can be seen as a way to reduce the number of recruits needed for the US military.
Unfortunately, the benefits may not outweigh the costs. Privatized military contractors typically make much more than their military counterparts, causing those who may be up for reenlistment to opt out of their military contract for a private military contract, thus costing the US government more money for the same service. Furthermore, the negative actions of Blackwater and other private military contractors have drawn very negative views of the US personnel operating in the Middle East. For example, the Nisour Square incident sparked increased hatred and distrust of the US forces in Iraq, resulting in increased anger toward US Army and Marine troops in the region. Privatization is usually a great way to get the best out of a select service/product, and in the case of Blackwater it is no different. But it is far easier to excel when the rules which apply to everyone do not apply to you, and punishment is unseen and unrecognized.
-Kyle Broflovski
No comments:
Post a Comment