The Observer, November 17, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 11
Free Speech Zone: War overseas result of different characters, supported by taxpayers
The war in Iraq is extremely complex on so many levels that the conflict will never be truly understood for decades. One aspect of this complexity is the complete breakdown of traditional duality of warfare – one army fights another, Colonists fight British for example. Of course, this qualification is an oversimplification with regards to even the most conventional war. But the current violence in Iraq is the result of the interaction of literally dozens of different actors. Even the United States government must admit that there are no reliable numbers or one clear enemy.
Aside from the al-Qaeda affiliated foreign fighters, there are a multitude of Shiite and Sunni militias, former Baathists, and perhaps religiously and politically unaffiliated groups which oppose the occupation on a more basic level. These groups also differ in tactics (terrorism, kidnapping, torture, "conventional" military force, etc.) and size. But perhaps the most shocking aspect of the issue of complexity in the conflict is that the size and source of Coalition forces is just as difficult to ascertain as it is for the insurgency. Aside from the fact that various nations besides the U.S. and U.K. have military forces in Iraq, there are also thousands of military contractors working in conjunction with the Coalition forces on the ground in Iraq.
It is extraordinarily difficult to find reliable information on these often overlooked participants in the occupation of Iraq. While it is tempting to write all of these private employees off as mercenaries, the truth is that many are truck drivers, food suppliers, interpreters, architects, and engineers. These individuals inhabit the unfortunate position of conducting services which were once administered by the military, but now have been outsourced. They face all of the dangers of working in Iraq (often as a target) without the prestige of being in uniform. Their compensation is a big paycheck. A quick search on any job search engine reveals that contractors in Iraq are paid $60,000 to $175,000 a year for working in Iraq. Where is all this money coming from? Your guess is as good as mine, but I would suppose that a good portion of our military budget at the moment goes toward paying these workers.
There are, however other individuals on the ground in Iraq, paid indirectly by the American and British governments, which can only be described as mercenaries. While the lines of distinction between contractor and mercenary are blurry, mercenaries are always armed and are usually sent to the most dangerous areas. The largest American employer in Iraq at the moment is Blackhawk Security, a corporation which was created in 2004 for the expressed purpose of "providing security services" in Iraq and beyond. However, Blackhawk's role has been miniscule in comparison to Blackwater Security, the largest operator in Iraq. These corporations and others, including British corporations which now deploy 48,000 employees in Iraq – six times the number of British troops according to the BBC, are redefining the nature of this conflict.
Human rights organizations have claimed that these security firms have committed numerous acts of unspeakable atrocity in Iraq all while being funded by the American and British governments and therefore by our tax dollars. Keeping in mind that American and British troops in uniform have been responsible for extrajudicial murder and even outright killing of civilians on occasion in Iraq, it is disturbing that our government would fund armed professional fighters who operate outside of the law or an internal disciplinary process.
A partial list of those fighters who have been killed in Iraq indicated that while many are British and American, a good number come from other countries or are simply unknown. This indicates that the professional fighters in the ground in Iraq are a multinational, and therefore, likely veteran troupe. Within a conventional military setting, this would be reassuring. But with regards to mercenaries, experience only indicates that one is especially efficient at killing people. And when thrown into a hornet's nest such as the current situation in Iraq, such professional soldiers may become extremely trigger-happy.
If one half of the claims by human rights groups are accurate, then it would appear that egregious war crimes are being conducted by quasi-renegades who are being indirectly funded by U.S. taxpayers. Such a situation is a far cry from the democracy, freedom, and justice which we promised the Iraqi people.
For more information go to http://www.waronwant.org/.
Pieragastini is a senior History and International Studies major involved with Catalyst: Students for Social Justice, Case-ACLU, and the Philosophy Society.
