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Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
by Jeremy Scahill

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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/96491.Blackwater_The_Rise_of_the_World_s_Most_Powerful_Mercenary_Army?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/photo.goodreads.com/books/1171312592m/96491.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/96491.Blackwater_The_Rise_of_the_World_s_Most_Powerful_Mercenary_Army?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/55473.Jeremy_Scahill">Jeremy Scahill</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/9157408?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 2 of 5 stars First, a little background on my own biases: I saw September 11th with my own eyes, and fully supported a military response (of whatever form necessary) to capture Osama bin Laden and break up Afghani training camps for Al-Qaeda. I opposed the invasion of Iraq from day one, though was happy to see one less dictator in the world who had committed genocide against a portion of his own population. I used to subscribe to The Nation, but eventually found its "reporting" to be wildly simplistic, dogmatic and plain uninteresting. I have interned for the UN in Rwanda, and read widely about international affairs.
 
 This is a book on a fascinating topic, written moderately well. The question at its center - are we comfortable with the increasing privatization of our military, and all the attendant questions it raises - is a good one. Unfortunately, the author's answer is a foregone conclusion from page one, and the reader is expected to agree from the same starting point. This was frustrating, and this book did not answer my questions, merely emphasizing them. Often, the author cites DoD officials, leaders in the "private security contracting" industry, and political supporters as if the points they raise are so ridiculous they speak for themselves. If the reader is not beholden to a specific political agenda, but genuinely curious about these issues, I think s/he will find many times that these individuals will raise a good point. Scahill needed to argue clearly and concisely why the things they were saying were so offensive. Lots of research done for this book, but it did not quite up to the damning conclusion the author reaches.
 
 If anything, the disaster in Iraq should prove that the world's emerging security threats cannot be solved through traditional military solutions. Many of the cases cited in the book, from Sierra Leone, to car bombings in the Middle East, to the ravages of Darfur, prove that the worst cases require new answers - more mobile, more efficient, more versatile forces, buoyed by more in-depth intelligence.
 
 There are many questionable aspects to the rise of mercenary forces in the "war on terror." The fact that they sit outside of any legal jurisdiction for their actions is perhaps the most damning, especially when so many of these soldiers come from countries with notoriously bad human rights records. The amount of connections Blackwater (specifically) has with curious, secretive government initiatives (such as the readying of military bases all along the Caspian border countries) should get anyone's inner conspiracy theorist buzzing. The extreme religious outlook of its leaders, given the places its troops are primarily active, should give one pause as to the true motives of this company.
 
 But like I mentioned, the overall effect of this is to raise some big questions - ones that the author assumes are answered from page one. In short, The Nation choir will sing its praises, but comes far short of claiming the conclusions it stakes out at the end. Still, it's well researched, dives deep into many of the questions at play, and should be read as a means of provoking discussion on an important topic.
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/74961?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Chad's review
rating:
bookshelves: post-school

First, a little background on my own biases: I saw September 11th with my own eyes, and fully supported a military response (of whatever form necessary) to capture Osama bin Laden and break up Afghani training camps for Al-Qaeda. I opposed the invasion of Iraq from day one, though was happy to see one less dictator in the world who had committed genocide against a portion of his own population. I used to subscribe to The Nation, but eventually found its "reporting" to be wildly simplistic, dogmatic and plain uninteresting. I have interned for the UN in Rwanda, and read widely about international affairs.

This is a book on a fascinating topic, written moderately well. The question at its center - are we comfortable with the increasing privatization of our military, and all the attendant questions it raises - is a good one. Unfortunately, the author's answer is a foregone conclusion from page one, and the reader is expected to agree from the same starting point. ...more First, a little background on my own biases: I saw September 11th with my own eyes, and fully supported a military response (of whatever form necessary) to capture Osama bin Laden and break up Afghani training camps for Al-Qaeda. I opposed the invasion of Iraq from day one, though was happy to see one less dictator in the world who had committed genocide against a portion of his own population. I used to subscribe to The Nation, but eventually found its "reporting" to be wildly simplistic, dogmatic and plain uninteresting. I have interned for the UN in Rwanda, and read widely about international affairs.

This is a book on a fascinating topic, written moderately well. The question at its center - are we comfortable with the increasing privatization of our military, and all the attendant questions it raises - is a good one. Unfortunately, the author's answer is a foregone conclusion from page one, and the reader is expected to agree from the same starting point. This was frustrating, and this book did not answer my questions, merely emphasizing them. Often, the author cites DoD officials, leaders in the "private security contracting" industry, and political supporters as if the points they raise are so ridiculous they speak for themselves. If the reader is not beholden to a specific political agenda, but genuinely curious about these issues, I think s/he will find many times that these individuals will raise a good point. Scahill needed to argue clearly and concisely why the things they were saying were so offensive. Lots of research done for this book, but it did not quite up to the damning conclusion the author reaches.

If anything, the disaster in Iraq should prove that the world's emerging security threats cannot be solved through traditional military solutions. Many of the cases cited in the book, from Sierra Leone, to car bombings in the Middle East, to the ravages of Darfur, prove that the worst cases require new answers - more mobile, more efficient, more versatile forces, buoyed by more in-depth intelligence.

There are many questionable aspects to the rise of mercenary forces in the "war on terror." The fact that they sit outside of any legal jurisdiction for their actions is perhaps the most damning, especially when so many of these soldiers come from countries with notoriously bad human rights records. The amount of connections Blackwater (specifically) has with curious, secretive government initiatives (such as the readying of military bases all along the Caspian border countries) should get anyone's inner conspiracy theorist buzzing. The extreme religious outlook of its leaders, given the places its troops are primarily active, should give one pause as to the true motives of this company.

But like I mentioned, the overall effect of this is to raise some big questions - ones that the author assumes are answered from page one. In short, The Nation choir will sing its praises, but comes far short of claiming the conclusions it stakes out at the end. Still, it's well researched, dives deep into many of the questions at play, and should be read as a means of provoking discussion on an important topic....less

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message 1: by Manky

03/31/2008 12:03PM

I was surprised after reading your review that you only gave this book 2 Stars. I read this book too. As a matter of fact, I couldn't put it down. I found it informative and well researched. I have a few comments:

You said, "If the reader is not beholden to a specific political agenda, but genuinely curious about these issues, I think s/he will find many times that these individuals will raise a good point. Scahill needed to argue clearly and concisely why the things they were saying were so offensive."
I thought Scahill was allowing readers to decide for themselves about whether the quotes to which you refer were offensive. He simply put their words out there: what we as readers make of them is up to us. I don't believe Scahill set out to write his own personal opinion of Blackwater or the attempt to privatize the military. It occurred to me while I was reading his book that some may find the quotes used merely a matter of common sense and therefore hardly objectionable. Others will view the same words differently. Scahill simply brought various points of view to our attention so we can decide what we think.

"Unfortunately, the author's answer is a foregone conclusion from page one, and the reader is expected to agree from the same starting point."

While the author may have given some inkling of his own point of view, I never felt I was expected to agree with it. But then that's how I view most books I read, and particularly non-fiction. If the point of view is so patently blatent that I can't stomach it, I voice my opinion. I don't, however, feel like I have to agree or disagree with any author's sense of the subject. I read Blackwater because I'd seen a documentary about Iraq in which Blackwater and specifically the incident with their employees in Falluja, was explored. I wanted to know more. Scahill told me what I wanted to know in this book.

I'm finding the current books being written about the Iraqi War are much more informative than listening to what our government tells us about our efforts in Iraq. And I say this as a long standing supporter of George Bush. Books like Blackwater, for me anyway, cut through the bullfeathers and give me information I can explore further if I want. As a result, I feel better educated for having read them. From that standpoint I felt your review was a bit harsh in its negativity while not completely making a case for why you believe this.