Blackwater in deep water

As the scandal and news reports surrounding the conduct of Blackwater in Iraq pour out, the Bush administration responds as only it knows how, by awarding even more money to the contractor.

This is in spite of the fact that after the constant denials, the chairman of Blackwater has admitted that BW contractors are prone to shooting first and asking questions later.

Meanwhile, Washington continues to ignore the will of the supposedly sovereign Iraqi government

“In the first comprehensive account of the day’s events, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior said that security guards for Blackwater fired on Iraqis in their cars in midday traffic. The document concludes that the dozens of foreign security companies here should be replaced by Iraqi companies, and that a law that has given the companies immunity for years be scrapped.”

So much for the Iraqi government having any power to ban Blackwater USA and other private contractors.

Worst of all, the State Department has its fingerprints all over the cover-up of Blackwater’s activities, though there is precious little evidence the US government has done anything to reign in these abuses.

Text and images ©2024 Antony Loewenstein. All rights reserved.

Site by Common