The Rising Corporate Military Monster

[G_j]

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0423-12.htm

The Rising Corporate Military Monster

by Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman

A corporate military monster is being created in Iraq.

The U.S. government is relying on private military contractors like never before.

Approximately 15,000 military contractors, maybe more, are now working in Iraq. The four Americans brutally killed and mutilated in Fallujah March 31 were part of this informal army of occupation.

Contractors are complicating traditional norms of military command and control, and challenging the basic norms of accountability that are supposed to govern the government's use of violence. Human rights abuses go unpunished. Reliance on poorly monitored contractors is bleeding the public treasury. The contractors are simultaneously creating opportunities for the government to evade public accountability, and, in Iraq at least, are on the verge of evolving into an independent force at least somewhat beyond the control of the U.S. military. And, as the contractors grow in numbers and political influence, their power to entrench themselves and block reform is growing.

Whatever the limitations of the military code of justice and its in-practice application, the code does not apply to the modern-day mercenaries. Indeed, the mechanisms by which the contractors are held responsible for their behavior, and disciplined for mistreating civilians or committing human rights abuses -- all too easy for men with guns in a hostile environment -- are fuzzy.

It is unclear exactly what law applies to the contractors, explains Peter W. Singer, author of Corporate Warriors (Cornell University Press, 2003) and a leading authority on private military contracting. They do not fall under international law on mercenaries, which is defined narrowly. Nor does the national law of the United States clearly apply to the contractors in Iraq -- especially because many of the contractors are not Americans.


..more..

[symbolman]

1. Exactly what I said in my latest flash movie

MURDER BY NUMBERS" Flash Movie (Re: Troop Coffins) by Symbolman

I call it, "MURDER BY NUMBERS" -it's based on the song by The Police..

This time they've gone TOO F*CKING FAR.. these troops BELONG to the AMERICAN PEOPLE and their families, they are NOT Bush's personal little ARMY GUYS..

Here's the url if you want to have a look, and pass it on to your neighbors..

Turn up those speakers!

this takes BUSH to TASK. AND his Old Man, the other Butcher of Bagdad.

http://www.takebackthemedia.com/murderby.html

[G_j]

4. another excellent

'flash' symbolman!

:toast:

**highly recommended, check this one out!

[brokensymmetry]

2. Interesting article.

I seem to recall that Rome had a problem when the silver mines flooded and they weren't able to pay their mercenaries.

What would happen if our economy tanked and we weren't able to pay our "contractors"?

[markomalley]

3. This is inevitable and will not change...

...as long as we have politicians (both parties are guilty) who pursue a militaristic foreign policy, while wanting to shrink the size of the military that carries out that foreign policy.

Until we have people in office who have the courage to dramatically change the way we do business with others around the world, this problem will exist. It happened in the first Iraq war, the interwar period, and now. It happened in the Balkans, Haiti, etc. There are contractors working on every military post in the world. The only way to change this is by changing the fundamentals by which we do our foreign policy.

[Jackpine Radical]

5. We created a military-industrial complex

and that brought us 2 generations of ever-increasing military expenditures.

Now we've created an immense mercenary force.

The MIC was satisfied that we should merely build and stockpile weapons. The Mercs will become an incredibly powerful lobby for using all those toys.

If you want constant war, institute a force that profits from war, and for whom peace is synonymous with hard times.

Where'd that goddam white rabbit go? Alice--Hey, Aaaaallllliiiice. Help! Get me out of here!!

[Insider]

6. say it loud

peace just does not pay for them. they are so vested in war it isn't funny. thank to bush jr, we must have constant "war footing" now.

btw, same with drugs/crime. another vast industry draining our budgets to support 'special interests'. reduction in drug addiction, reduction in crime just wouldn't pay for them. thanks to bush sr, we must have "war on drugs" forever.

[Postman]

7. Isn't this fascism?

what else do you call it?

Corporate sponsored violence to protect or grab resources and investments

An end-around move from Congressional accountability

A dodge of the non-existent "check-and-balance" format of the US Constitution

An open example of how Republicans love "privatization" (no accountability along with high profit and waste) and hate government control (because government control means taking responsibility, being held accountable and waste is checked)

[G_j]

8. it certainly is n/t