Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: HRC's State Dept contracted w/Blackwater while BW was being prosecuted for Libya arms deals [View all]leveymg
(36,418 posts)61. If you really want to be appalled, read '07 Salon article by Blumenthal about Blackwater in Iraq.
There's nothing as disgusting as selective outrage and hypocrisy by those who condemn the players and then turn around and join the game at first opportunity. That is exactly what Sid appears to have done when Hillary created the opportunity for contractor fun and profit in Libya. Hillary's message to him, "Keep it coming."
Thursday, Oct 4, 2007 07:08 AM EST
http://www.salon.com/2007/10/04/private_military_in_iraq/
Red, white and mercenary in Iraq
Under the cloak of freedom, the U.S. exempted Blackwater and other contractors from Iraqi law -- and destroyed its own democratic credibility.
Sidney Blumenthal
On June 27, 2004, the day before the United States was to grant sovereignty to a new Iraqi government and disband the Coalition Provisional Authority, L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. proconsul, issued a stunning new order. One of the final acts of the CPA, Order 17 declared that foreign contractors within Iraq, including private military firms, would not be subject to any Iraqi laws all International Consultants shall be immune from Iraqi legal process, it read. Congratulations to the new Iraq! Bremer said moments before flying out. His memoir, My Year in Iraq, neglects to mention Order 17.
The author of Order 17 was a CPA official named Lawrence Peter, who oversaw the Iraqi Ministry of Interior. As soon as the CPA was dissolved, the Private Security Company Association of Iraq hired Peter to act as its liaison and lobbyist there. The new Iraq included a revolving door.
Thus, in the process of granting Iraq sovereignty, the Bush administration eviscerated it. Order 17s grant of immunity to contractors guaranteed that more than half of the foreign presence on the ground for U.S.-paid contractors outnumber U.S. military personnel would operate for all intents and purposes beyond the law. Order 17 also undercut the authority of the U.S. military, frustrating command and control of the battlefield and upsetting sensitive counterinsurgency strategies. Order 17 meant that the monopoly of violence was fractured and outsourced to those not subject to the law. By unilateral fiat Order 17 uniquely created a red zone of impunity covering the entire country.
A radical break with U.S. policy, such an order had never been promulgated before. Order 17 should not be confused with a Status of Force Agreement negotiated with sovereign nations such as South Korea. Those agreements are subject to complex bargaining and mutual assurance. Nor are contractors subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice because, after all, they are not in the U.S. military. Nor has the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act of 2000 been brought to bear on contractors in Iraq. That act applies only to those working for the Department of Defense and is rarely used, if at all. The contracts for private military firms have been funneled through the State Department, thereby exempting them from the MEJA. (The only case brought under the MEJA against a contractor in Iraq was for one who had raped a U.S. reservist in her trailer.)
Of the mercenary companies, Blackwater has earned a special status as one of the least controllable and most aggressive, ferrying through the battle space without coordination with U.S. forces. Time and again, Blackwater has triggered incidents undermining U.S. strategies and endangering military forces. In 2004, four Blackwater men brazenly drove through the insecure city of Fallujah, were quickly cornered by a mob, were killed and burned, and their charred bodies hung from a bridge. In the ensuing outcry, U.S. forces were ordered to encircle the city, attack, withdraw and attack again, eventually leveling it. In 2006, a drunken Blackwater mercenary murdered a bodyguard for the Iraqi vice president, and was spirited out of the country with U.S. Embassy complicity, paid off and never prosecuted. Under Order 17, no law applied.
http://www.salon.com/2007/10/04/private_military_in_iraq/
Red, white and mercenary in Iraq
Under the cloak of freedom, the U.S. exempted Blackwater and other contractors from Iraqi law -- and destroyed its own democratic credibility.
Sidney Blumenthal
On June 27, 2004, the day before the United States was to grant sovereignty to a new Iraqi government and disband the Coalition Provisional Authority, L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. proconsul, issued a stunning new order. One of the final acts of the CPA, Order 17 declared that foreign contractors within Iraq, including private military firms, would not be subject to any Iraqi laws all International Consultants shall be immune from Iraqi legal process, it read. Congratulations to the new Iraq! Bremer said moments before flying out. His memoir, My Year in Iraq, neglects to mention Order 17.
The author of Order 17 was a CPA official named Lawrence Peter, who oversaw the Iraqi Ministry of Interior. As soon as the CPA was dissolved, the Private Security Company Association of Iraq hired Peter to act as its liaison and lobbyist there. The new Iraq included a revolving door.
Thus, in the process of granting Iraq sovereignty, the Bush administration eviscerated it. Order 17s grant of immunity to contractors guaranteed that more than half of the foreign presence on the ground for U.S.-paid contractors outnumber U.S. military personnel would operate for all intents and purposes beyond the law. Order 17 also undercut the authority of the U.S. military, frustrating command and control of the battlefield and upsetting sensitive counterinsurgency strategies. Order 17 meant that the monopoly of violence was fractured and outsourced to those not subject to the law. By unilateral fiat Order 17 uniquely created a red zone of impunity covering the entire country.
A radical break with U.S. policy, such an order had never been promulgated before. Order 17 should not be confused with a Status of Force Agreement negotiated with sovereign nations such as South Korea. Those agreements are subject to complex bargaining and mutual assurance. Nor are contractors subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice because, after all, they are not in the U.S. military. Nor has the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act of 2000 been brought to bear on contractors in Iraq. That act applies only to those working for the Department of Defense and is rarely used, if at all. The contracts for private military firms have been funneled through the State Department, thereby exempting them from the MEJA. (The only case brought under the MEJA against a contractor in Iraq was for one who had raped a U.S. reservist in her trailer.)
Of the mercenary companies, Blackwater has earned a special status as one of the least controllable and most aggressive, ferrying through the battle space without coordination with U.S. forces. Time and again, Blackwater has triggered incidents undermining U.S. strategies and endangering military forces. In 2004, four Blackwater men brazenly drove through the insecure city of Fallujah, were quickly cornered by a mob, were killed and burned, and their charred bodies hung from a bridge. In the ensuing outcry, U.S. forces were ordered to encircle the city, attack, withdraw and attack again, eventually leveling it. In 2006, a drunken Blackwater mercenary murdered a bodyguard for the Iraqi vice president, and was spirited out of the country with U.S. Embassy complicity, paid off and never prosecuted. Under Order 17, no law applied.
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
106 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
HRC's State Dept contracted w/Blackwater while BW was being prosecuted for Libya arms deals [View all]
leveymg
Mar 2016
OP
How much did Prince donate to the Opelousas' Charity Ball - i.e., the Clinton Foundation
yourpaljoey
Mar 2016
#9
The fix is in with corporate media. There's not enough time to get the truth out to enough people.
RiverLover
Mar 2016
#10
The fix may indeed be in but there seems to be a continual drip, drip, drip of information on this
Samantha
Mar 2016
#43
More wingerish sounding noise, this kind immunizes her against the rest of the RW noise machine caus
uponit7771
Mar 2016
#5
Now that we know that Erik Prince was one of Hillary's buddies, it is. BFFF. Get with the program!
leveymg
Mar 2016
#51
This is insane. I'm only old enough to be voting in my 3rd presidential election this year but
Nuclear Unicorn
Mar 2016
#52
If you really want to be appalled, read '07 Salon article by Blumenthal about Blackwater in Iraq.
leveymg
Mar 2016
#61
Thanks again, I will definitely read this. I'm pretty sure I know 'why' to your questions but
polly7
Mar 2016
#72
So now long-respected journalists like Jeremy Scahill are wingers and Blackwater is good?
Armstead
Mar 2016
#55
Most of this stuff was long before Hillary was SOS..Bush Cheney stuff. Carry over to Clinton SOS.
Jitter65
Mar 2016
#6
No, these contracts with the State Dept continued under Hillary while BW was under new criminal
leveymg
Mar 2016
#7
Prince's Libya ITAR problems started under Clinton, who created the opportunity for BW to play there
leveymg
Mar 2016
#53
Clinton was not obligated to continue employing BW and she certainly wasn't obligated to
Nuclear Unicorn
Mar 2016
#46
And of course the founder of blackwater is under investigation for spying for the Chinese
NWCorona
Mar 2016
#8
This is the outfit that has been involved in child sex trafficking in Afghanistan
Ash_F
Mar 2016
#17
Yep, yet ANOTHER reason I will NEVER vote for HRC. If younguys push her to be our nom, then
peacebird
Mar 2016
#26
Wish the Inspector General was able to look into that except there was no IG to look...
Octafish
Mar 2016
#35
Thank you for that specific data on Prince's contribution to Bill and Hillary's pay to play
leveymg
Mar 2016
#49
This reminds me of a little blip in the 'news' about Blackwater that I saw...
Peace Patriot
Mar 2016
#39
Frontier Services Group (FSG) kind of reminds me of this outfit, and its chief security contractor
leveymg
Mar 2016
#89
Can you imagine the trouble this guy would be getting into without things to keep him busy?
leveymg
Mar 2016
#92