The Perils of Contracting Out
What might they expect, for heaven's sake? The U.S. government and its military have contracted out services for protection of their emissaries, a job once done with pride by its own Marines, for example, and now undertaken by high-priced, highly-skilled mercenaries loyal to their employer and the bottom line. These are U.S. government employees at a remove. They don't answer to quite the same laws and justice system that would give them pause for second, sober thought were they operating in the United States.This is a country of war they are operating in, a country occupied by an invading army of Western allies, a country beset by bitterly divided sectarian militias, a country whose citizens and whose own armed forces are attacked by foreign insurgents eager to sow as much chaos as inconceivably possible to attain their own ends. This is anything but a normal society operating under anything remotely resembling expectations of civic normalcy.
Pity the beleaguered, embattled, bereft and tortured population. When a brief respite of relief takes them momentarily away from the reality of their dire existence, their lives are still fraught with danger. A region of the world where it is seen as normal to fire off celebratory rounds from well-armed citizens which, unfortunately also causes many incidents of bullet-ridden casualties is not what many in the West might consider a "normal" country, in any event.
Why not legislate and enact severe penalties against the ubiquitous ownership of military-style assault weapons, and extend that legislation and penalties to any who flout the law and cause injury to innocent bystanders? For the fact is, many civilians are killed and maimed through the casual use of firearms. Certainly an unfortunate detail, almost irrelevant in a country where roving religion-crazed militias visit terror and death on citizens of opposing sects, with grim abandon.
Here is a country hanging on to its presumed sovereignty with bare-knuckled grasp, anxious to ensure that those occupying forces, albeit temporarily sited, and with the full understanding that they are more than willing to leave at invitation; playing courtship with a neighbouring country traditionally militantly oppositional, playing the outraged hand when representatives of the occupying force cause violent havoc and death.
And well they should, so should any self-respecting guardian of their people protect those very people from the incautiously violent depredations of outsiders. Except that members of Blackwater USA, form an integral part of the protection offered to foreign investors, diplomatic representatives of foreign powers and other such notables. These mercenaries serve a purpose and derive a legitimacy of purpose and presence because of those who rely upon them and who would have it so.
No doubt they are an arrogant bunch of slap-hell-for-leather cowboys, eager and willing to shoot 'em-up at any opportunity They've also experienced their own kind of agony when they've been caught, killed, and their bodies inelegantly displayed for public perusal and celebration. They've been brought into direct military action in battling insurgents as hard-bitten and determined and well-armed as they are.
In the process being attacked, and suffering their own casualties. Nervous? I'll bet they are. Trigger-happy? No doubt, no doubt. They're authorized to use force. They are tasked with safe-guarding the presence of foreign investors and officials. For this they are well paid. They no doubt enjoy their work, despite the danger; perhaps because of the danger. Launch an investigation, by all means; the situation requires no less.
Justice should be blind. A crime is just that, anywhere it occurs. In the commission of their dedicated enterprise due care must still be demonstrated. These commandos by any other name should be held to the same level of accountability that any military personnel anywhere are held to. Life is precious, anywhere, even when the quality of that life has been so dreadfully compromised. Perhaps all the more so.
For the defenders to needlessly, hysterically, sacrifice innocent lives is indefensible. "We will work on punishing and stopping the work of the foreign security company that committed the criminal operation in Al-Nisour Square", President al-Maliki advised Iraq state television. Will they, will they indeed? If this mercenary army, so highly trained and valued by their allies is invited to leave the country, can they be certain their allies will not also depart?
Should an indispensable agent of defense against chaos, violence, lawlessness depart the scene, what then? How will an over-stressed, under-manned ally manage to function in the best interests of all concerned? In the four years since the invasion of Iraq, UN figures put the losses of these mercenaries at 420. That's a lot of deaths. It's bad that they are allowed to operate without accountability, with impunity, certainly.
Isn't that typical of an occupying force? One source has it that the 'civilians' who inadvertently interrupted the motorcade in question were totally innocent of intent and cause. Another has it that the so-called civilians were in fact terrorists intent on doing what terrorists do. That the Blackwater guards were doing their job. One can imagine how things got out of hand. Small comfort to the dead and injured.
Is this war, a war of attrition on one side, of mindless carnage on the other? Is there a solution to the problem of contracting out protection in the face of ongoing, undeterred violence? Name it, or accept that the spectre of imminent death has the unfortunate consequence of making people very nervous indeed.
Small comfort.
Labels: Justice, Terrorism, Troublespots
posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, September 18, 2007
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