Latest Blackwater Scandal in Iraq: A Condemnation of How this War is Fought
The New York Times is reporting that the U.S. defense contractor Blackwater used a riot-control gas, called CS gas, in May of 2005, dropping it from a helicopter on both United States military personal and Iraqi civilians. While no one was injured, the gas, which is a highly controlled material, used by the armed forces only with the permission of top military officials, temporarily blinded many of the 20 to 25 service personnel exposed.
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I must say the revelation of this latest Blackwater scandal does not surprise me but I can't help but have an ominous feeling that this practice of paid mercenaries will haunt us for some time to come. It is not that hiring contractors to replace the job of a volunteer army was stupid, as many other decisions regarding Iraq have been. It is in fact pretty ingenious.
In order to fight a war, a country needs an army. When a country is fighting a war that is domestically highly unpopular it is difficult to get a voluntary fighting force. Not to give a history lesson here but it is worth noting that the biggest political mistake of the second half of the last century is unquestioningly enacting the draft for the purpose of fighting the war in Vietnam. This time around, in order to prevent another massive civilian outcry and the U.S. government from coming to a standstill, the politicians had to come up with another way. The solution: the free market, hire private contractors.
The problem with these mercenaries was documented last September when Blackwater was responsible for the deaths of 17 Iraqis in downtown Baghdad. In hiring Blackwater, the Bush Administration is sitting atop a dangerous bull, trying to hang on to the game for a few more seconds. This recent revelation not only destroys our credibility and creates a fighting force free from the strict guidelines of the military’s chain of command but puts the lives of the real American heroes, doing the had job, at a grave risk.
