Comments on: US Now Relying on Mercenaries in Afghanistan

US Now Relying on Mercenaries in Afghanistan

Coop — Wed, 20 Nov 2002 09:37:01 -0800

Can Mercenaries Protect Hamid Karzai? The US govt is hiring private mercenaries to do it's dirty work overseas. In short, by hiring private military contractors such as DynCorp, the U.S. government has found an effective way to conduct foreign policy by proxy and in secret. These proxies cannot be monitored, are effectively immune from all criminal sanctions, and are dangerously hard to control since they answer to corporate bosses, not military brass. (easy registration required)

By: nofundy

nofundy — Wed, 20 Nov 2002 09:45:59 -0800

And the really good part is the private companies can be milked for political campaign contributions! Much better than the old fashioned spoils system in government.

By: machaus

machaus — Wed, 20 Nov 2002 09:49:25 -0800

I find the bigger story to be our laissez faire response to post Taliban Afghanistan rather than the administration's hard-on for private sector outsourcing. We seem to be well on the predictable path of not cleaning up after ourselves and fostering a new set of monsters. It's the two fronts, stupid.

By: mathowie

mathowie — Wed, 20 Nov 2002 09:52:53 -0800

I just created a metafilter/metafilter account at NRO, so feel free to use that.

By: cell divide

cell divide — Wed, 20 Nov 2002 10:09:33 -0800

I find the bigger story to be our laissez faire response to post Taliban Afghanistan rather than the administration's hard-on for private sector outsourcing I agree. I am beginning to think that all the talk of "a new hope for Afghanistan" was merely sugarcoating, and that the current administration does not really care what happens there!

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Wed, 20 Nov 2002 10:14:36 -0800

I am beginning to think that all the talk of "a new hope for Afghanistan" was merely sugarcoating, and that the current administration does not really care what happens there! Say, anyone know what the Pope's religion is? I'm still having a few doubts. :)

By: Mo Nickels

Mo Nickels — Wed, 20 Nov 2002 10:41:41 -0800

There's a big difference between mercenaries and private security corporations, and it's not just semantic.

By: revbrian

revbrian — Wed, 20 Nov 2002 10:51:19 -0800

[I just created a metafilter/metafilter account at NRO, so feel free to use that.] FYI Political Junkies - The New Republic Online is usually referred to as TNR while NRO refers to National Review Online.

By: originalname37

originalname37 — Wed, 20 Nov 2002 10:51:45 -0800

Mo Nickels, what is that difference? (I'm not trying start a fight. I actually want to know.)

By: ednopantz

ednopantz — Wed, 20 Nov 2002 11:15:11 -0800

When was the last time Afghanistan wasn't governed by thuggish tribally organized warlords? Were the US to attempt to impose our model of society on Afghanistan 1) it would fail in a bloody fashion and 2) the US would be damned for doing it. Bugging out and letting the place revert to its miserable form, sans Taliban and al-Qa'ida training camps, is probably the best anyone could hope for. Pentagon's black budget Magic Wand program is still in early stages. There is a limit to US power and it looks like the current administration decided not to attept the impossible. But no, it is easier to blame America for Afghanistan's political environment. If only there was a way to ascribe it all to a conspiracy about oil, or GM crops or something.

By: hoskala

hoskala — Wed, 20 Nov 2002 11:32:33 -0800

U.S. seems to be at least bending, even if not breaking all the international laws that it would like others to live up to. This double standard of ethics is truly worrying, privatized or not. When was the last time Afghanistan wasn't governed by thuggish tribally organized warlords? Just 23 years ago, before the civil war started. The U.S. and the Soviet Union are in part responsible for the beginning of that war also.

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Wed, 20 Nov 2002 11:39:09 -0800

Bugging out and letting the place revert to its miserable form, sans Taliban and al-Qa'ida training camps, is probably the best anyone could hope for. See, the problem is that it wouldn't remain sans Taliban and Al-Qa'ida (or analogues thereof) for five minutes if we left. And then we'd just have to start all over. Better to bite the bullet and build a nation.

By: CoolHandPuke

CoolHandPuke — Wed, 20 Nov 2002 11:45:25 -0800

But it (DynCorp) also used apparently trumped-up charges, such as time-card tampering, to fire two employees who had brought their co-workers' crimes to light. The two employees both sued to get their jobs back, and, this summer, only weeks before DynCorp was awarded the Karzai mission Corporate boss to the two whistle blowers: "Hey guys, let's put that whole whistle blowing misunderstanding behind us and focus on the future. Speaking of which, pack your bags, I've got a great new assignment you two are just going to love..."