Customer Reviews

Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Every time I hear someone tell me it is un-American to question the motivations behind and the execution of a war, it really upsets me. In reality, it is the ability to speak up and raise objections that defines us as Americans. But who is it that is really undermining the troops? Is it those who have failed to adequately plan for, equip, and staff the war effort, and have put the lives of U.S. troops in the hands of corporations? Or is it those who seek to challenge these failed policies? I would hope most would choose the former as the greatest threat to both the safety of troops and the eventual outcome of the war.

This film underscores this debate in the context of what is evidenced as real, genuine war profiteering. The war profits are reprehensible enough, often overcharging the U.S. taxpayer and under-training their men on the front lines. But I believe the filmmakers, at their core, have attempted to place blame on the U.S. government for creating this situation in the first place. Certainly private contractors have played a part in military operations for a long time now, but not to the extent to which they play a role in this war. Everything from providing water, food service, laundry service, transportation, and even interrogations are put in the hands of private contractors. And, as the film points out time and time again, these corporations have no real allegiance to the U.S. military, nor are they governed by the same codes of military conduct or the Geneva Convention. You can imagine the serious problems that can arise when private contractors, essentially mercenaries with no oversight or accountability for their actions, are fighting side by side with U.S. troops making 25% of the salary of the contractors.

Overall, Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers is an eye-opening and infuriating look at a situation most Americans know about already, but to which they have essentially turned a blind eye. This film simply and unequivocally illustrates exactly how great a stake corporations have in the Iraq war, which leads me to my one criticism of the film. Among the many great issues raised, I don't believe the following conclusion is ever addressed. That conclusion is this: We can assume that the #1 goal of any soldier in a war is to bring about an end to that war. The #1 goal of any corporation is to make a profit. Therefore, it is in the interest of military contractors to sustain the war as long as they are making a profit. Therein lies the most elemental conflict with the war profiteers. We put a company in roles vital to the success of the war, yet a successful conclusion to the war would likely end most or all military contracts the company would be awarded. To whom do these contractors pledge allegiance? Do they act in the best interests of the U.S. war effort, and thus risk losing these lucrative contracts in the peaceful future? Or do they act in the best interests of their company's bottom line and flirt with treason in the process.

Now tell me who is really "undermining the troops."

Greenwald and team's new documentary takes the public inquiry into the real causes for policy decisions made in Washington over the past eight years . . . well, maybe a lot longer to a new level. The film attempts to detail explicitly the activities of the four biggest war profiteers: Haliburton, Kellogg Brown & Root, CACI, and Blackwater, and examine the results of the privatization of war. The film and the twenty minute section on the DVD which records the failed attempts made in Congress by Senators Dorgen, Leahy and other Democrats to regain the type of Congressional oversight that the putative representatives of the American people had back in the late 1940's/early 1950's under the Truman Commission.

The implications of the ramifications of this unbridled corruption are perhaps even more terrifying than the tragic testimonies which are recorded to justify the exposition and argument made in the film.
The film does the great service of detailing for a mass audience, with more essential specifics than presented in this medium before, the depth of the control these war profiteers exert over our elected representatives and the danger they have brought to our front door, all in the blind pursuit of more almighty dollars than anyone could ever possibly spend. Even combat veteren General Smedley Butler, who was the first, I believe to coin the phrase "WAR IS A RACKET", could not have imagined the surreal proportions to which war profiteering has been taken in Iraq, all at the expense of the American tax-payer and a bunch of innocent people now dead.

Greenwald, in my opinion, has always been a rather conservative film-maker with an ability to get to the root of the big problems, but frankly, not a whole lot of dramatic flair (ala Micheal Moore, Erroll Morris, or the makers of "Hidden Wars of Desert Storm"). Determined to reach to the hearts in the Heartland, he seems absolutely adverse to showing any sort of partisanship at all, almost too responsibly objective, a style which, to my eye, somewhat enervates the presentation. But perhaps, there is more wisdom to his approach than I would care to admit. For instance, in 'Outfoxed', while doing a pretty good job of exposing the hypocrasy, dishonesty, deceptiveness, and bullying techniques of that now venerable vehicle of fascist propoganda, he does not beat the drum for the fact that Murdock is a dangerous foreign national, with extreme right wing verging on monarchist, oligarchic, political leanings operating in the US. Greenwald, does, however, in a sort of understated way, point to the incredible danger to our Democracy presented by Fox News Network, America's favorite babysitter (believe me, more of Reagan's Robots are coming of than the Gipper ever would have dared to dream for - all nursed on Hannatty's and O'Reilly's Goebbelesque rantings. "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices" was a much happier affair as an investigative documentary - really hard hitting in its best moments - and his best effort dramatically. Again, Greenwald and his crew, through a sort of explanatory expose, make us aware of the root of a REALLY BIG PROBLEM.

These films make you aware and they make you mad. 'Iraq for Sale' shares with them - the same, slow paced - non dramatic - deliberate - consciously non-partisan style. And you will get angry - furious. But, will it get the American voting public to finally do something about the problem come November?

True to the filmaker's form, "Iraq for Sale" does not spend a second on the speculation that the Iraq venture was consciously planned years in advance to profit those who are discussed in the film. It does spend almost the entire duration detailing how those profits were eventually made and continue to be made, the type of suffering so far engendered, and why no oversight has been established to stop the bleeding.

Farenheit 9/11 was released in the Summer before the 2004 elections. Although it was by far the most viewed film world-wide that season, the majority of Americans did not see it! A shocking truth. And this one, folks - for better or worse - will not jerk you out of your seat as that monumental effort did for many. Rather, like Inconvenient Truth - it's more of an explanatory type of document - and to wit - much of it is basically already known by many, though perhaps not in such specific detail - however, it's a real service to have it all in one place - to show to as many folks as possible before the November elections. One wishes, we could print millions of dvds and dump them in places like Pennsylvania, Virgina, the deep South, Texas, Oklahoma, the Sun Belt, before they all go out and do it again! But, at least, if you care, buy a copy, and show it to some people before election day (or on it - outside the polling booth!)

Unquestionably, "Iraq For Sale" is team Greenwald's most important venture to date dealing with the ROOT (no pun intended) of THE BIGGEST PROBLEM, and should be seen by every American, especially those who actually believe they're doing their patriotic duty by voting Republican -because they've bought the argument that by supporting certain American business interests, America is going to stay strong, and that somehow by not supporting them, America's military is going to be weakened. The film succeeds is revealing this deceit for what it is, perhaps the most destructive lie ever bought by the majority of American voters.

I don't have much to add beyond Cvairag's excellent review; but people looking for this sort of analysis will also want to purchase the DVD of Eugene Jarecki's documentary "Why We Fight."
We may not have the resources to print a million copies of these DVDs, but the Iraq for Sale website does offer a discount on bulk orders, and civic organizations like "Code Pink" offer the DVD at a discount as well.

Lastly, I'm not so sure that the American voters actually endorsed this regime and its policies of corporate fundamentalism and state terror. Authors like Greg Palast have revealed all sorts of voting chicanery, and I just viewed an excellent DVD on the issue called "American Blackout," which features Palast and Cynthia McKinney (who has been predictably smeared by the elite establishment).

"For the friends of the free market operating in Iraq, it doesn't matter who gets killed or why; every day is payday, and if from time to time events take a turn for the worse - another twenty or thirty Arabs annihilated in a mosque, a BBC cameraman lost on the road to the airport -back home in America with the flags and the executive-compensation packages, the stock prices for our reliably patriotic corporations rise with the smoke from the car bombs exploding in Ramadi and Fallujah: Lockheed Martin up from $52 to $75 between July 2003 and July 2006; over the span of the same three years, Boeing up from $33 to $77; ExxonMobil up from $36 to $65; Chevron up from $36 to $66; Halliburton up from $22 to $74; Flour up from $34 to $87." -Lewis Lapham, from his editorial in the September, 2006 issue of Harper's magazine.
Lapham's critique also provides the answer as to why we're in Iraq - some people are making a lot of money off of it, and they want to "stay the course."

No doubt this will automatically be labeled as "liberal propaganda" by some but the issues tackled in this film should be of concern to everyone, Republican or Democrat.

I must admit that I didn't know much about contracting before this film came along, though I had heard bits and pieces before in the news about Dick Cheney's shady Halliburton dealings. "Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers" truly opened my eyes to the horrendous waste and fraud that is going on in Iraq and the risks that contractors and our troops have been exposed to by companies who were found in some cases to value money more than human life. People might possess the misconception that this film takes a stance against the war and against private contracting in general, but that is absolutely not the case; rather it takes a stand against war PROFITEERING and tells the stories of those who have been personally affected by it. The interviews with family members whose loved ones died needlessly are truly heartbreaking, as is the moving testimony of a former Halliburton employee, Ben Carter, who discovered the company was providing contaminated water to soldiers.

I recommend that everyone show the film to friends, family and co-workers since Brave New Films counts on people and not theaters to distribute their movies. A definite must-see.

A concise, pointed and interesting expose` of the no bid contracts between the United States Government, Haliburton, KBR, Blackwater and CACI. Includes interviews with soldiers and ex employees of these "Non-Governmental-Agencies" (NGA's).

One of the witnesses who went to Iraq to provide clean water to the troops breaks down on camera weeping that "I went over there to help them". Another describes how the trucks ferrying "Sailboat fuel" around Iraq aren't equipped with oil filters or spare tires and when they inevitably break down, they are burned on the side of the road.

Your tax dollars hard at work America. Get this video and get mad.

I watched this movie to pursue a line of personal 'interest' on the depth of corruption and hypocrisy of Governments, having spent many years investigating similar topics on many governments around the globe - not just the US.

This video was pretty slick and well presented, and was slightly different to the 'Loose Change' and 'Terrorstorm' style of presentation of these conspiracy-revealing DVD offerings. In fact it offered a closer, more personal view of the victims (and their families) of the big Mega-Corps like Halliburton and Kellogg, Brown and Root, speaking to many of the civilians who were caught up in the carnage of Iraq working on the big, juicy contracts of these mega-Corps, and investigating the horror they went through.

Whilst I'm pretty sure I wouldn't sign a contract to go to war-torn Iraq and not expect to find death, destruction and carnage all around me, it's pretty impressive to see just how both innocent civilians and the government alike are lied to in order to do two things - i) get the job done, and ii) earn a stack of greenbacks in the process for the big boys.

The depth of corruption and 'couldn't care less' attitude of the faceless office execs who draw human lives into the risky theater of war, offering them lies about their safety, never ceases to amaze me. The whole blurring of the line between civilians and the military in these combat-hot regions was pretty eye-opening I must admit, but most astonishing is the fact that EVERY American taxpayer is also being heavily ripped-off by the invisible CEOs who deny all accountability or even knowledge of what is going on. It actually makes me wonder just why it is allowed to carry on unabated, until I remember that people with this level of absolute power are corrupted absolutely... The age-old adage wins out again.

Still, I must admit that by the end of the DVD, I had a slightly different, more informed view of what is going on between the big Corps and the US government. The extra footage of various (Democratic...obviously) congressmen trying to expose the greed of these corporations to the American public - and being defeated every time by a Republican majority, makes an absolute mockery of the whole American system of freedom, justice and honesty. If I lived in America, I'd surely want to know just how my dollars were being swindled by the big boys with the big connections, but to be honest I think the rabbit hole runs so deep that most people just turn that other cheek as long as they have their dinner on the table and gas for their car. And that's sad.

The DVD was very enlightening in a 'new' way, and once more hammers a nail into the coffin that bears the reviled name of "Bush's America" upon it around the rest of the world. I only offered it 4 stars however, as I felt that there was certainly a some room for more detailed evidence, supporting facts and related stories. There was considerable time spent on emotional depth to each story, and although loss of life is undoubtably not a trivial matter, I feel that the message of the producers would have been stronger and clearer by offering more evidence and variation - of which I know there exists a veritable mountain.

Watch this if you want to see that extra objective and yet emotional dimension, and hear the facts and evidence straight from the horse's mouth...and then make your own decision.

This DVD will leave you feeling lied to. If it doesn't, then you must be driving today to your plush office at Halliburton, KBR, any of the other mega Corps covered in this great offering - or maybe Washington DC...

Those who are apprehensive about my 4-star evaluation, do not be afraid. You'll see more on that in a bit. This film is among the most important today... Indeed, I've already invited activists to my home to see it!

There are different perspectives on the Iraq "war." The WMDs that didn't exist; the distorted information which Condy Rice and other second rate flacks are trying to rationalize. There's even the fact that Saddam Hussein was, alas, a brutal, self-serving dictator. But there's also a dimension of which we think little because the "liberal media" haven't brought it up enough, i.e., the privatization of this conflict and who's making the money off of it.

We traditionally assume that the military does its own food preparation (the proverbial mess seargant and KP) and laundry, right? Not any more. Now we contract out those services. And the company doing our troops' laundry charges $100 a load. Even more--if there can be more--is that it's poorly done! One troop does his own laundry in the sink as the expensively laundered fatigues come back dirty!

Then there's the security and torture issue. Blackwater USA provides largely former military people to provide security to, for example, Bremer, who, despite his complete lack of knowlege of Arabic or Iraq, was assigned as head honcho there. And many of its employees have been responsible for Abu Ghraib-type atrocities. However, if one is in the military, he or she is punished for such actions. If you're part of the "private sector," you're sent back to the states, and can return to Iraq a week later with another company.

I'm familiar with some of those who spoke in the film as I attended a Senate hearing with them. Many witnessed the deaths of their comrades because KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary, apparently treated their driving into an ambush as a triviality. Then there's the Blackwater employees who were killed also.

Robert does a wonderful job of noting that the victims and their families are human, they have personalities, and there are consequences to their deaths. That, indeed, is one of the strongest traits of this film. And others testifying in the film are teary eyed over how their companies have been fleecing the American tax payer.

Oh, then there's the Halliburton contract for millions of dollars to purify water. I don't want to give anything away (except that the water isn't purified!) In short, the troops whom we purport to "support" with our yellow ribbons are bathing in, brushing their teeth with, even making coffee with water the catalog of bacteria in which is mind boggling.

Robert slips in clips of the salaries of the CEOs of these companies. Suffice it to say, it's much more than I'll see in my entire professional life!

Another important dimension of the film is exposed in the end credits. Robert tries to avoid corporate sponsorship of such a project. I suppose he can be far more candid--and honest--without that business representation. So he gets donors to contribute to the project thereby avoiding that potential conflict of interest. The many, many names of those donors are among the end credits. And over these credits, he shows himself and his staff trying to contact key personnel from the companies on which he's commenting, then summarizes how many times he tried to get their side of the story with no--not one--positive response!

Now, why four stars? It's not so much the film's fault. I only wish Robert could have covered MORE. Robert recommended to me the book "Blood Money" (available here on Amazon.com) which exposes even more companies and what the alleged conservatives are making off this conflict.

Yes, it's important for ALL Americans, but EXPECIALLY those of you who call yourselves conservative. We're all being taken for a ride, and your tax dollars are being spent to enrich those of negative merit.

See it. See it!

Everyone on Earth should watch this. It's very enlightening, showing you the profit driven nature of the war in Iraq. Anyone who supports the war MUST see this, yet unfortunately, they probably won't. I showed it to my mom, who is an avid Bush fan, and she shrugged it off saying, "That happens in every war. Corruption is always present." One thing she obviously failed to realize is that corruption is not acceptable, and if she supports Bush and the war, then she shouldn't want the corruption.

Yes the Corporation was good and showed the dirty tactics that companies use, but if you want to get madder than hell and know what our government is doing, watch this dvd. These dirty rotten scoundrels are making money while walking in the pools of blood of dead Iraqis . Our Vice President just might be the devil wearing a disguise. Haliburton's contracts in Iraq are expected to have generated more than $13 billion in sales from the war. Can you believe that the invasion of Iraq was planned months before Sept 11? After you realize the truth and understand what has transpired, will you change your mind or will you allow yourself to be entrenched in arrogance. I highly recommend you buy this and then donate it to your local library for everyone to see it. I also recommend that you read Rouge Nation: American Unilateralism and Rouge State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower and prepare to be shocked at what our great nation is doing behind our backs.

Howdy folks. I am a two time Iraq veteran. In fact I;m typing this from Al Asad, Iraq right now aboard Camp Ripper. Everything this film says is true and it's not even the tip of the iceburg. Everyday I see the Blackwater mercenaries, the KBR crooks, and contractors doing half the work I am for 10 times the pay. Contractors will tell you they love America, they support the troops, and just want to do their part. They are full of bull. They are out here for a year to make $100,000 tax free, then go home to buy a house in cash.

Operation Iraqi Freedom has nothing to do with freedom. This war is all about the almighty dollar and everyone involved is making out like bandits. It is almost to the point where military personnel here are second class citizens while the contractors are VIPs. I have always been against this war and I am sick of this war. This isn't even a war anymore, it's a huge cluster-frig. We're over here dying and away from our loved ones for 12 to 15 months at a time while fat pigs sit back with their cigars and champagne watching their stocks go up.

In all of American history, this is our saddest moment as Americans. Future generations will look back at our time period and shake their heads in disbelief. My only question is how much more money can be paid to these contractors and for this 'war' before we are completely bankrupt?

And if any of you think that one Iraqi is thankful or even wants us here, you're smoking crack. There is a saying they have here in the Middle East and the Iraqi's quote it often, "We would rather have 1000 years of tyranny than one day of chaos."