Paul Krugman on Blackwater and Other War Contractors

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I've wanted to post something on the war contractors, like Blackwater, but I don't feel well-versed enough on the topic to have a solid take on it. It has a nasty vibe, and it's hard to see the upside. And then, I find a story that says they did some good.

Still, the bulk of what I've read has been negative--very negative. I'd like people who read my blog to be aware of the subject, and I wanted to make sure the subject is addressed. So, until I've had time to study a bit more, I'll leave it to the pros. Here's a snippet of what New York Times writer, Paul Krugman has to say, in a recent NYT editorial.

[Excerpt]

Hired Gun Fetish

. . . As far as I can tell, America has never fought a war in which mercenaries made up a large part of the armed force. But in Iraq, they are so central to the effort that, as Peter W. Singer of the Brookings Institution points out in a new report, “the private military industry has suffered more losses in Iraq than the rest of the coalition of allied nations combined.”

And, yes, the so-called private security contractors are mercenaries. They’re heavily armed. They carry out military missions, but they’re private employees who don’t answer to military discipline. On the other hand, they don’t seem to be accountable to Iraqi or U.S. law, either. And they behave accordingly. . .

Read the whole piece at: NYTimes.com