Blackwater Banned Means What Exactly?
Published by BG on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 at 8:12 AM.Matthew Yglesias (September 17, 2007) - Blackwater Banned (Foreign Policy)
Letting people like that wander around the country was a kind of criminal negligence on the part of the Iraqi government and the fact that it took years for this measure to get enacted is fairly shocking. Nevertheless, though Blackwater is the highest-profile contracting firm involved in Iraq, I don't think they're the only one and such unaccountable mercenaries haven't been banned in toto. That that hasn't happened, and that the CPA-era immunity hasn't been repealed, tells you a lot about the imperial character of this venture.
No, what's going to tell you a lot about the imperial character of this venture is when the occupying force tells the democratically-elected Iraqi government to suck it. Blackwater isn't going anywhere. They're in Iraq in a big way, heavily involved, extremely well-connected politically, and work at the bidding of Bush, not Maliki. Even if the Iraqis tried to ban "unaccountable mercenaries... in toto," there's no chance in hell that's going to produce the intended results. No. Chance.
A ban on Blackwater is going to be as effective as a ban on oxygen. Ain't nothing changing. Blackwater won't be held accountable, the administration won't subject them to the Uniform Code, and the Iraqi government once again gets to show its impotence in the world media by making a bluff the US is only going to be too eager to call (especially with Allawi waiting in the wings). If the Iraqis try to hold individual mercenaries accountable, the US and Blackwater will get those individuals on the next flight back home. If the Iraqis try to hold Erik Prince accountable, the US and Blackwater will probably pull a collective gut muscle after eighteen consecutive hours of uncontrollable giggle fits.
Nothing has changed, nothing will change. Not exactly a difficult prediction to make.
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