Meet BLACKWATER USA, the world?s most powerful mercenary firm. Based in the wilderness of North Carolina, it is the fastest-growing private army on the planet with forces capable of carrying out regime change throughout the world. Blackwater protects the top US officials in Iraq and yet we know nothing about the firm?s quasi-military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and inside the US. Blackwater was founded by an extreme right-wing fundamentalist Christian mega-millionaire ex-Navy Seal named Erik Prince, the scion of a wealthy conservative family that bankrolls far-right-wing causes. Blackwater is the dark story of the rise of a powerful mercenary army, ranging from the blood-soaked streets of Fallujah to rooftop firefights in Najaf to the hurricane-ravaged US gulf to Washington DC, where Blackwater executives are hailed as new heroes in the war on terror. This is an extraordinary expose by one of America?s most exciting young radical journalists.
Blackwater
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'Essential reading' -- Mail on Sunday (Ireland)
`Blackwater is the utterly gripping and explosive story of how the Bush Administration has spent hundreds of millions of public dollars building a parallel corporate army, an army so loyal to far right causes it constitutes nothing less than a Republican Guard. The most important and chilling book about the death throes of U.S. democracy you will read in years and a triumph of investigative reporting' ? -- Naomi Klein, author of No Logo
`Meticulously researched and fascinatng... Scahill does a fine job' -- Rod Liddle, Sunday Times
`Of all the insane Bush privatization efforts, none is more frightening than the corporatizing of military combat forces. Jeremy Scahill admirably exposes a devastating example of this sinister scheme' -- Michael Moore, Academy Award Winning Director
`This is a very useful survey of modern mercenaries... Jeremy Scahill is a sharp investigative writer' -- Steven Poole, Guardian
`Blackwater is the utterly gripping and explosive story of how the Bush Administration has spent hundreds of millions of public dollars building a parallel corporate army, an army so loyal to far right causes it constitutes nothing less than a Republican Guard. The most important and chilling book about the death throes of U.S. democracy you will read in years and a triumph of investigative reporting' ? -- Naomi Klein, author of No Logo
`Meticulously researched and fascinatng... Scahill does a fine job' -- Rod Liddle, Sunday Times
`Of all the insane Bush privatization efforts, none is more frightening than the corporatizing of military combat forces. Jeremy Scahill admirably exposes a devastating example of this sinister scheme' -- Michael Moore, Academy Award Winning Director
`This is a very useful survey of modern mercenaries... Jeremy Scahill is a sharp investigative writer' -- Steven Poole, Guardian
About the Author
Jeremy Scahill is an unembedded, international journalist. He has reported extensively from Iraq through both the Clinton and Bush administrations. He reported from Yugoslavia during the 1999 NATO bombing and spent years covering the downfall of Slobodan Milosevic's government and the rise of a neoliberal regime backed by the United States. He has also reported from Nigeria, where he and colleague Amy Goodman exposed the role of the Chevron oil corporation in the massacre of protesting villagers in the Niger Delta. Traveling around the hurricane zone in the wake of Katrina, Scahill exposed the presence of Blackwater mercenaries in New Orleans and his reporting sparked a Congressional inquiry and an internal Department of Homeland Security investigation. Scahill has won numerous awards, including the prestigious George Polk Award for Foreign Reporting and numerous Project Censored Awards. He was among the only western reporters to gain access to the Abu Ghraib prison when Saddam Hussein was in power and his story on the emptying of that prison won a (US) Golden Reel for "Best National Radio News Story" of 2002. Blackwater is his first book.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By S Wood
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
I have to admit to being slightly puzzled about the low ratings this book has got. I first read it last year when it was published in paperback and found it a compelling informative read, yet the reviews on Amazon talk of it as "dull and repetitive" - "frustrating" - "childish rant".
Having now read it a second time I can with out hesitation recommend it to anyone who wishes to be informed about some of the realities of the modern mercenary industry. The book focuses on Blackwater and tells the story of the forming of the company, the background of its right wing Christian fundamentalist owner Erik Prince, the behind the scenes wheeling and dealing that have made Blackwater a major participant in the growing Mercenary industry (sorry "International Peace Operations" - Blackwater speak). It is packed with information, quotes from the leading figures in Blackwater (virtually to a man all ex government employees), covers events such as the killing of the 4 Blackwater operatives in Fallujah, the gunning down of Iraqi civilians at Nisour Square in Baghdad.
Some reviewers speak of it as being an angry rant and the book certainly contains anger in it - this is generally in the form of the testimony of relatives of Blackwater employees who have died in circumstances that are hardly a credit to Blackwater, or relatives of Iraqis killed by trigger happy Blackwater operatives. The author himself has not written an angry book, that he has problems with the mercenary industry is obvious and a perfectly reasonable position to take: the relationship between it and the then governing Bush administration is blatant cronyism, the no bid contracts, the immunity from any accountability provided by proconsul Bremer and plenty of campaign financing for the republican party. The book certainly doesn't come across to this reader as a rant but rather puts Blackwater in particular and the Mercenary Industry in general under the microscope.
The book is not entirely without its faults, there is an element of repetition - a few quotes are used twice and though relevant to both the contexts they are quoted in, it does come across as a bit clumsy. Obviously it would have been better if these problems were sorted out at the editing stage but for this reader they didn't spoil an effective piece of investigative journalism that sheds light on a shadowy industry in cahoots with a shady government.
Having now read it a second time I can with out hesitation recommend it to anyone who wishes to be informed about some of the realities of the modern mercenary industry. The book focuses on Blackwater and tells the story of the forming of the company, the background of its right wing Christian fundamentalist owner Erik Prince, the behind the scenes wheeling and dealing that have made Blackwater a major participant in the growing Mercenary industry (sorry "International Peace Operations" - Blackwater speak). It is packed with information, quotes from the leading figures in Blackwater (virtually to a man all ex government employees), covers events such as the killing of the 4 Blackwater operatives in Fallujah, the gunning down of Iraqi civilians at Nisour Square in Baghdad.
Some reviewers speak of it as being an angry rant and the book certainly contains anger in it - this is generally in the form of the testimony of relatives of Blackwater employees who have died in circumstances that are hardly a credit to Blackwater, or relatives of Iraqis killed by trigger happy Blackwater operatives. The author himself has not written an angry book, that he has problems with the mercenary industry is obvious and a perfectly reasonable position to take: the relationship between it and the then governing Bush administration is blatant cronyism, the no bid contracts, the immunity from any accountability provided by proconsul Bremer and plenty of campaign financing for the republican party. The book certainly doesn't come across to this reader as a rant but rather puts Blackwater in particular and the Mercenary Industry in general under the microscope.
The book is not entirely without its faults, there is an element of repetition - a few quotes are used twice and though relevant to both the contexts they are quoted in, it does come across as a bit clumsy. Obviously it would have been better if these problems were sorted out at the editing stage but for this reader they didn't spoil an effective piece of investigative journalism that sheds light on a shadowy industry in cahoots with a shady government.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you already have a distaste for increasing privatisation this book about the increasing use of mercenaries by the USA in its conflicts in Iraq and Afganistan will just make you boil with frustration and anger. I think this sentiment when reading this book will not be just confined to those who have left-leaning politics but also any soldier or ex-soldier who takes pride in their service. The book is very well researched and gives an insight into a issue that is not discussed or written about all that much.
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Although this book is written from a blatantly biased - anti-Republican - viewpoint, it is nonetheless an important insight into the appalling legacy that has been left behind in Iraq by the current US administration through the privatisation of the military. The wholesale robbery and betrayal of both the American and Iraqi peoples should not be ignored, because of a misguided but well-intentioned attempt at investigative journalism. If you read one serious book this year; this should be it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent for a second hand book... but not perfect.
As second hand books go I've had worse, but I've also had better. For the price though I can't complain as I'm all in favour of reusing good quality stuff. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Daisy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Arrived on time, as described.
Book arrived well on time, as was described.
People ask, what is good. To be brave, is good.
Frederick Nietzsche
People ask, what is good. To be brave, is good.
Frederick Nietzsche
Published 1 month ago by BrianInvincible
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting
Very interesting
I recommend the product. Quite interesting.. a bit long but with very good documentation and a good journal style
I recommend the product. Quite interesting.. a bit long but with very good documentation and a good journal style
Published 2 months ago by YAGO
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everyone should read this
Gives you an insight as to just who is in charge when it comes to world conflicts, mainly the arms industry!
Published 4 months ago by Hubbs Hubba
3.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting
Just shows the corruption through the Bush era. Self interest was the name of the game. Detailed and comprehensive. Read more
Published 4 months ago by TeamScoop
2.0 out of 5 stars
a biased view
It is incredibly biased so much so that I thought it was a work of fiction, interesting but unbelievable nothing is fair in war and it doesn't matter how you are killed you are... Read more
Published 4 months ago by HH
2.0 out of 5 stars
informative but turgid, boring and 300 pages too long.
Blackwater and modern mercenary armies are subjects crying out to be written about. As soon as I saw this book I knew I had to have a read. Read more
Published on 1 Nov 2010 by Hannibal
5.0 out of 5 stars
Scahill is awesome!
This book is a real eye opener. Perhaps something that the U.S. Congress and the president should look through.
Published on 12 Jan 2010 by Simon Chrisander
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Boring Political Polemic
This really ough to be sub-titled "Why you should despise Blackwater and the Bush Administration". Not that I'm a huge fan of US foreign policy, but I expected a more... Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2008 by J. Kemp
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping tale of mercenary politics
The Iraq war has seen a vast expansion in the use of private security contractors to complement the U.S. military. But who are these contractors? Who pays them? Read more
Published on 10 Dec 2008 by Rolf Dobelli
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