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There has been a lot of political discussion recently about when US troops will pull out of Iraq and under what circumstances. But at the same time, the US government is negotiating an agreement with Iraq that would spell out terms for American troops to stay past the end of this year, when United Nations authorization expires.
The US has more than eighty of these "Status of Forces" agreements with countries around the world. But negotiations with Iraq have run into trouble over disagreements around bases, control of airspace, authority to conduct operations and immunity from Iraqi law for American troops - and private contractors working with the US military or for diplomatic missions, including security contractors.
We?ll take a look at the negotiations and the issue of contractors. There?s been plenty of coverage of the problems, including the incident last fall when contractors with Blackwater Worldwide opened fire in a busy Baghdad intersection, leaving 17 people dead. A grand jury is currently investigating those deaths, which led to some tightening of contractor rules.
Nearly every soldier serving in Iraq, including from the Northwest, has experience with private contractors. Many serve meals and clean toilets on U.S. bases there. Others protect U.S. diplomats and U.S.-funded projects. Northwest veterans, as others, are also recruited to work for private security companies in Iraq and Afghanistan, often earning more than twice as much as they did in uniform.
Are you a veteran? Have you served in Afghanistan or Iraq? How did you interact with private security contractors? Were the lines of authority clear?
Have you worked as a contractor ? in private security or another detail ? in Iraq? How easy is it to work alongside soldiers making much less money than you? Should American contractors be subject to Iraqi law?
UPDATE, Tuesday, June 17, 7:07 AM: It looks like the US has decided to let contractors be subject to Iraqi law. Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari says Washington has dropped its demand for contractor immunity. According to Al-Jazeera, Zebari said this was because of what Iraq "has gone through with them in the past and because of the sensitivities for the Iraqi people."
We'll explore how this came about, what this means for the US presence in Iraq - and whether Northwest veterans who might have considered working as contractors there will now change their minds.
Tagged as: blackwater · contractors · iraq
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Raed Jarrar, an Iraqi currently based in Washington DC, has an answer for you on his blog ([url]http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/[/url]). Raed was in Portland and spoke in Vancouver most recently in May. He lived and worked in Iraqi during and after the 2003 invasion and has clear headed analysis of Iraqi politics, which he claims is divided primarily along nationalist (anti-occupation) vs. separatist (pro-occupation) lines rather than sectarian ones.
On his blog he wonders whether current leaks concerning the number of bases are a ruse that will allow Maliki's pro-occupation forces to later claim compromise. We don't currently have 58 bases, for example.
I suspect Jeremy Scahill knows Raed and can probably comment about his understanding of the situation in Iraq. Raed arranged the recent visit to Washington DC and NY of two Iraqi parliamentarians who testified to congress. More about Raed can be found at [url]http://www.motherjones.com/news/outfront/2008/05/mr-jarrar-goes-to-washington.html[/url] and [url]http://www.afsc.org/iraq/speakers_bureau/raed_jarrar.htm[/url]. -
Mike:
Thanks for the link, it is similar to several sites I have read from in the last few days. Problem is, without an actual draft on hand, we don't know and have to speculate, just as Mr. Jarrar does.
Dave:
Circumspect? Considering the dearth of information and my preference not to treat something is fact when we are long on rumors and conjecture and have no solid evidence... what would you have had me do? Besides, I was first again and didn't want another cut-and-paste... -
Let's note that the contractors fit the Bush/Cheney definition of Enemy Combatants. They wear the uniform of no recognized nation, they swear no allegiance to any nation, they fit the definition of unaligned terrorists, etc.
These private corporate armies are the worst idea since Pinkertons and that ilk.
Military forces ought to be under the tight control of recognized governments and accountable to the world legally for War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity and these private Conservative Republican Armies are none of the above.
Consider what will happen when they return to their country of origin, trained and experienced in lawlessness, random murders, intimidation, and who knows what else? Do you want that in your country?
A bad idea gone wild! -
Wow. What dustbin did you guys dig the studio guest out of? It must be killing him that he can't let loose a rant on Western imperialism. Is he wearing a Che Guevera shirt?
There are better ways to look at problems in Iraq than to scrape someone like this out of the barrel.
Turning off the show in 3...2...1... -
To the guests: What do you think Bremmer's motivations were in writing the immunity clause? Where is Bremmer now? Also, what would it take to overturn this clause, and do you think its likely?
Between the immunity clause, and de-baathafication L Paul Bremmer III single handedly destroyed Iraq, IMO. -
L Paul Bremer III was an employee of Kissinger Associates. Remember Henry Kissinger? He and Nixon assassinated Salvador Allende and then overthrew and destroyed the Chilean democracy. Kissinger is a genuine Internationally wanted War Criminal who has very limited travel opportunities because he might be apprehended.
Does that help answer your questions? -
What difference is there between the way the contractors treat Iraqis and the way Saddam Hussein treated them?
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Does this developing agreement refer at all to the many U.S. military bases that we have been building in Iraq? Will they be manned by contractors? What is their status?
SO FEW bits of information about these bases ever seems to crawl into the news here, it seems like 12-17, or how many ever, major U.S bases in Iraq is a giant expense we know very little about, and a huge implication for status of U.S military power in the Middle East...or is it going to be U.S Contractor Power?
Thank you for doing this great TOL program! -
There is good information on U.S. bases in Iraq at [url]http://www.fcnl.org/iraq/bases.htm[/url].
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Many thanks for the Bases link, 3heartmike! So appreciated!
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Jeremy Scahill's L.A. Times Op-Ed from yesterday.
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How many of the contractors are ex-military, and how many of those were kicking out rather than voluntarily left? Doesn't that bring unfit soldiers back to the field that the military dosn't want there?
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KBR! I'll be darned, Cheney is still on their payroll. You don't think, ... nah, he's an upright moral Christian, isn't he?
Isn't he?
Ha ha ha! Murder for hire, with a get out of jail free card.
Sheesh. -
Folks, The following email was sent to Jeremy Scahill re: my experience as a caller on today's Think Out Loud:
Jeremy,
I am an independent media producer in Eugene, OR. I heard your interview on OPB's "Think out Loud" today. I called in to ask a question re: the use of Blackwater-type mercenary's in the US, i.e. New Orleans post-Katrina, and what impact that means in re: to Bush's executive order gutting of posse comitatus in 2006.
At 20 minutes to the hour, I was told by an OPB intern screener that they didn't have time for my question. When I told her that there were still 20 minutes left in the show, she demurred and I was disconnected. Then I turned up my radio only to hear the host announcing for more callers. I called right back, got the same screener and then was told that my question was 'off-topic'. I asked her why she had lied to me and then she demurred again, saying, "She was sorry I was upset." I got her name, her supervisor's and producer's name and hung up.
With only a few minutes left on the show you made reference to my exact concern.
I thought you might want to know that I had been censored by OPB "Think Out Loud" producers for bringing up that extremely relevant and salient point earlier in the show when you could have addressed it in-depth on the air rather than just make a brief reference to it during the last moments of the show.
Amy Pincus Merwin, InForm Media
2220 Sandy Dr.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-521-5062 -
I've had it with the bashing of military contractors. Most of you are clueless as to the nature of the job(s) or the makeup of the families who are sending in loved ones to fill these jobs. These men (some women) are filling a void in OIF and OEF today. Too bad they cannot receive the thanks and gratitude from the likes of the media for all their hard work and sacrifice. To use them as a venue to bash the President and have a political discussion over Iraq is tasteless and shameful. Thank God for all the families participating in this manner within a war zone today. Shame on the media for exploiting this topic and these families.
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Comments are now closed.
In the absence of such, I am forced to wonder if the government is publicly floating this topic as a red herring to keep us from being concerned over the far more troubling rumors about what else is included in our proposed version of a US-Iraq SOFA.