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"'Meticulously researched and fascinating... Scahill does a fine job' Sunday Times 'Scahill deserves commendation' New Statesman 'Essential reading' Irish Mall on Sunday '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 No Logo '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"
Michael Moore, Academy Award Winning Director
`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'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
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.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book became even more relevant following the horrifying blackwater incident that occured in Iraq and resulted in the murder of innocent civilians. What is wrong with Blackwater or firms like it? Quite simply this they are not held to account for their actions. They are a civilian org. and therefore not accountable under military law but because they peform a military function they are not accountable to civilian authorities.
This book exposes one of the ugliest realities in our modern world. It is time to start informing yourselves people. Wake up and smell the Coffee!!!
This book exposes one of the ugliest realities in our modern world. It is time to start informing yourselves people. Wake up and smell the Coffee!!!
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
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? And how did one contractor, Blackwater, become so entrenched? Jeremy Scahill answers these questions and more in this provocative, thoroughly reported book about the world's largest, private mercenary army. Scahill has done a masterful job of researching this secretive organization to disclose its origins, motives, leaders and activities. getAbstract strongly recommends this compelling, disturbing story to anyone interested in the Iraq conflict, and in the larger picture of how private armies reshape warfare.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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 19 months ago by Hannibal
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
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
A repetitive and angry book
I never realised this about myself until recently, but I like books that are even handed accounts, even when the book is coming from a perspective I admire I don't like cheap shots... Read more
Published on 23 Sep 2008 by J. Duducu
This book went nowhere
I had looked forward to reading a book about Blackwater. Instead I read a an exceedingly polemic book, mostly about Iraq and the incompetence of the US Army and Bush... Read more
Published on 3 Aug 2008 by Ulrik Jungersen Walther
blackwater
i enjoyed this book but found it was overly long,blackwater have filled the vacumn left by the bush goverment. Read more
Published on 27 April 2008 by Mr. S. Bounds
Very good study of mercenarism
Jeremy Scahill, an American investigative journalist who has covered Iraq and other wars, has written an important study of mercenary militarism. Read more
Published on 11 Jan 2008 by William Podmore
Blackwater - a flawed but important book
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... Read more
Published on 6 Nov 2007 by Mr. John Fallon
So close..... but no cigar
This book was very frustrating for me as it's filled with subjective and emotive language and contradicts itself over and over again. Read more
Published on 5 Oct 2007 by A. Cresswell
Interesting, but the real question remains unanswered
A well-researched book that provides much interesting background, but the author's personal convictions (to which he is of course fully entitled) tend to get in the way of... Read more
Published on 7 Sep 2007 by G. van Geleuken
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