Some revealing facts from the essential War is Business blog: $10.9 billion was the value of military training and sales agreements executed in fiscal year 2000 by the Pentagon’s global arms delivery service, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. $31.6 billion was the sum of the agency’s business in fiscal year 2010, which concluded at the…
Showing all posts tagged Afghanistan
Wikileaks may embarass the Pentagon and no tears are shed
A reminder, in case it was needed, that the actions of the US need to be exposed rather than hidden. Our job, as citizens, is to demand transparency from governments, not meekly accept “top secret” because officials say so: The Pentagon warned the U.S. Senate and House Armed Services Committees that the website WikiLeaks.org “intends…
Scahill on poor Western intelligence screwing up Afghanistan
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
US being beaten by a handful of bearded Afghans
The most powerful military in history with the brightest minds in the business. Or not: For months, the secret talks unfolding between Taliban and Afghan leaders to end the war appeared to be showing promise, if only because of the appearance of a certain insurgent leader at one end of the table: Mullah Akhtar Muhammad…
Wikileaks want to redefine “global history”
Stand by: The WikiLeaks website has announced it plans to publish nearly three million more secret US documents in its next mass release of confidential material, The Daily Telegraph learned. It would be seven times larger than its release last month, when it posted some 400,000 secret documents about the war in Iraq on its…
How dare anybody accuse Australia of acting illegally in war?
Following my lead story in Crikey yesterday on the role of Australian troops in US-led assassination squads, the following responses appear today. For the record, a number of people have contacted me since publication and confirmed the allegations in the story. Much more in the coming years: Neil James, Executive Director, Australia Defence Association: As…
Australian troops involved in covert and deadly operations for the US
My following lead article appears in today’s edition of Crikey: Elite Australian soldiers are involved in covert operations for the Americans in the “war on terror”, co-ordinated through the top-secret, Paris-based centre Alliance Base. There has been no public discussion about these missions, but Crikey understands the soldiers are involved in targeting, interrogation and assassinations…
What a bankrupt war breeds
The massive growth in private mercenary companies since 9/11 is exposed with yet another investigation. But the end result? More outsourcing to unaccountable companies who are desperate for wars to continue and expand. Killing is a good business: An Australian-owned security company has been accused of a litany of abuses in Afghanistan – including theft…