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

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Jeremy Scahill

Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army Kindle Edition

by Jeremy Scahill (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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The groundbreaking bestselling expose of the shadowy mercenary army that perpetrated horrific war crimes in America's name.

On September 16, 2007, machine gun fire erupted in Baghdad's Nisour Square, leaving seventeen Iraqi civilians dead, among them women and children. The shooting spree, labeled "Baghdad's Bloody Sunday," was neither the work of Iraqi insurgents nor U.S. soldiers. The shooters were private forces, subcontractors working for the secretive mercenary company, Blackwater Worldwide, led by Erik Prince

Award-winning journalist Jeremy Scahill takes us from the bloodied streets of Iraq to hurricane-ravaged New Orleans to the chambers of power in Washington, to reveal the frightening new face of the U.S. military machine, and what happens when you outsource war.

"A crackling expose" -- New York Times Book Review

"[Scahill] is a one-man truth squad" -- Bill Moyers

"[An] utterly gripping and explosive story" -- Naomi Klein, The Guardian

Print length

561 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Bold Type Books
Publication date

May 27, 2008
Grade level

8 and up
File size

1282 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

''A crackling expose.'' --The New York Times Book Review

''The dark, largely unknown story of Blackwater . . . is chillingly told in Jeremy Scahill's exposé . . . (audiobook narrator) Tom Weiner has precise diction and a rumbling, authoritative delivery.'' --AudioFile

''Jeremy Scahill's Blackwater would be a masterpiece of the genre of futuristic sci fi were it not so regrettably real . . .[A] horrifying but necessary read.'' --Daily Kos

''This engrossing investigative piece exposing, in shocking detail, a U.S.-government-outsourced Frankenstein replete with helicopter gunships may leave you incredulous. But you better believe it, for it poses a grave and gathering danger to the future of our Republic.'' --Ray McGovern, CIA veteran and former intelligence briefer to George H. W. Bush

''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

''Should our nation enter a period of instability following another terrorist attack on American soil, an economic collapse, or a series of environmental disasters, the tyranny that groups such as Blackwater impose on others could become the tyranny they impose on us. The rise of this unchecked mercenary force, as Jeremy Scahill understands, could presage the final stage in the collapse of American democracy.'' --Chris Hedges, former New York Times Middle East Bureau Chief

--This text refers to the audioCD edition.

About the Author

JEREMY SCAHILL is a frequent contributor to 'The Nation' and a correspondent for the national radio and TV program 'Democracy Now!' He is currently a Puffin Foundation Writing Fellow at The Nation Institute. A two-time winner of the prestigious George Polk Award, Scahill has reported extensively from Iraq, and his exposure of the presence of Blackwater forces in New Orleans in the wake of Katrina sparked a Congressional inquiry and an internal Department of Homeland Security investigation. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. --This text refers to the audioCD edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Scahill's liberal horror story is about the company that has deployed many of the private contractors who have assisted the U.S. military in Iraq and been responsible for more than its share of death and disorder. Scahill, a regular contributor to the Nation, amps up the scare language in his study of both Blackwater and the wealthy, ultra-conservative Prince family that founded the company, but luckily, Weiner does not. With his booming baritone reined tightly in check, Weiner coolly and calmly delivers the bad news. The parade of scaremongering may grow wearying, but Weiner maintains his composure throughout, offsetting Scahill (to a degree) by virtue of his unyielding temperateness.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From AudioFile

The dark, largely unknown, story of Blackwater, the world's most secretive, powerful, and fastest growing private army, is chillingly told in Jeremy Scahill's exposé. Fact by fact, Scahill demonstrates the widespread outsourcing of military tasks to private companies bankrolled by right-wing millionaire Eric Prince, the scion of a conservative dynasty (founded, ironically, on the invention of the lighted car visor and the car cup-holder). Tom Weiner has precise diction and a rumbling, authoritative delivery. Listeners might detect a slight jarring note when his masculine voice attempts women's voices, but nothing detracts from the saga of self-regulated profiteering armies being entrusted with U.S. foreign policy and U.S. lives. A.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

"Scahill provided me information...which I have not been able to get from the U.S. military...I have read more from Mr. Scahill, than I've got from our own government."--Representative Marcy Kaptur, Defense Appropriations Committee

"[T]his is no uninformed partisan screed...Meticulously documented and encyclopedic in scope...it's a comprehensive and authoritative guide...this book serves as a provocative primer for advancing the debate."--Bill Sizemore, Pulitzer-prize nominated journalist, "Virginian-Pilot"

"Andy McNab couldn't have invented this prescient tale of the private army of mercenaries run by a Christian conservative millionaire who, in turn, bankrolls the president. A chilling expose of the ultimate military outsource."--Christopher Fowler, "The New Review"'s "Best Books of 2007"

"Fascinating and magnificently documented...Jeremy Scahill's new book is a brilliant expose and belongs on the reading list of any conscientious citizen."--Scott Horton, International and Military Law Expert, Columbia University Law School

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0097CYTYA
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bold Type Books; 1st edition (May 27, 2008)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 27, 2008
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1282 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 561 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #93,510 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #12 in Iraq War History (Kindle Store)
- #12 in Terrorism (Kindle Store)
- #16 in National & International Security (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
867 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

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GadgetChick

Book's flaws don't mask necessary - and frightening - facts

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 17, 2009

Verified Purchase

I got this book after seeing in the news that Blackwater USA had elected to rebrand itself, jettison the top leadership, and say goodbye to its founder, Erik Prince, because of what the company called "public relations issues" with its old brand identity. As a marketing professional, I am interested in branding and public relations, and figured that any company that has to rebrand itself to get away from bad press really does have some PR issues. I got this book because I knew the exposure that Jeremy Scahill gave to Blackwater was instrumental in leading to the "PR issues" that ultimately lead to rebranding.

This book is a sprawling exploration of private contracting, the Bush administration's complete abdication of public interest in the Iraq war, the reckless profiteering of all types of war contractors (not just Blackwater), and much, much more. Almost too much. As other reviewers have said, Scahill does seem to lose focus at points - but when he ventures off-topic, it's always to make a point which is important and does relate to his overarching themes. Scahill also doesn't come off as terribly objective, but I don't think he was trying to be. I also think that it's probably hard to be objective in the face of huge amounts of evidence of treachery, incompetence, and subterfuge that resulted in enormous costs, both in taxpayer dollars and in human life.

Whether or not you agree with the war in Iraq, and whether or not you agree with the explosion of mercenary services around the world, there is important information in this book that every American should know. Anyone who still believes that the war in Iraq was about "liberating" the Iraqi people should read this book because you will quickly become disabused of that notion. I believe there was a way to wage the war in Iraq in a way that "liberated" the populace but that is not the approach Bush, Inc. took. Instead, they basically razed the country and then sent in amoral puppets who opened the country up to rabid profiteering, with absolutely no concern for the welfare of the Iraqi people. I don't think we'll ever know just how much taxpayer money went down the drain in Iraq, to contractors who produced nothing or performed incompetently; it makes the financial bailout seem like a drop in the bucket. The real story in Scahill's book isn't what Blackwater did, it's that Bush, Inc. paved the way for Blackwater and other firms like it to rape Iraq, kill its people, take its resources, squander taxpayer dollars, and do it all with the imprimatur of respectability.

A lot of people may think that because Blackwater has now been kicked out of Iraq, this story is a non-starter, but nothing could be further from the truth. The scope of malfeasance Scahill uncovers in this book is staggering and points to the need for Congressional investigations into the Bush administration's misdeeds over the 8 years he was in office. I understand President Obama's desire to look forward, not back and I also understand "forgive and forget." But I need to know what I am forgiving and so much of what was done in Iraq was obfuscated or outright concealed that I don't think any of us really know just how corrupt the system was, and how many abuses were committed, right now. We do need to know these things and it is the responsibility of our current representatives in government to investigate.

The final takeaway from this is just how far down the path of complete corporate rule we went during the Bush administration. Much of the book seems to illustrate the idea that it wasn't really the Bush administration making decisions in Iraq, so much as it was Halliburton/KBR, Blackwater, and other corrupt contractors. It's the same hubris and brazen indifference to the welfare of Americans we're seeing in the financial crisis - corporations, allowed to do whatever they want, have sucked this country dry and gotten away with it. Blackwater is one symptom of the cancer that is killing our country, and that's the overarching role of corporations in dictating public policy. Only when we cure the root cause will the symptoms fade away. Anyone who doubts that corporations have too much power and too much leeway only needs to read this book, and pick up a newspaper, to see convincing arguments to the contrary.

13 people found this helpful

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Alan Beggerow

A Telling Book For Troubled Times

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 18, 2007

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Privatization of government is the trend. The myth that private business is more efficient than government is being exploited to the maximum. To be sure, the present course this adminstration has taken to run this country is very inefficent and costly. But government itself does not have to be that way. Therein lies the myth.

One of the most disturbing aspects of this privatization 'push' concerns the military. Again the myths are everywhere: The military is inefficient, private companies can do a better job, ad finitum. It is one thing to contract out the mess hall and laundry services (although even these services aren't any better or less costly than when the military itself did them) but when private companies are hired to provide security, and in a warzone at that, it should raise a lot of concern.

Our democracy is founded on very basic principles. One of those principles is civilian authority over the military. The hiring of Blackwater and other 'private security forces' undermines this civilian authority. Despite rhetoric to the contrary, private companies like Blackwater do not fall under the juristiction of our military, or under civilian control. Blackwater personnel are in essence accountable only to Erik Prince, the founder and owner of the company.

Blackwater has recently built a new facility in Jo Daviess county in Northwest Illinois, called Blackwater North. They assured citizens there would be no automatic weapons training, while the website offers same-said training. Blackwater spokespersons have consistantly said one thing and done another at the site. No plans to enlarge the site, while bulldozers are doing exactly that. Only leasing the property, but they have an option to buy that a person at the site said will be a reality. The county zoning board has zoned the Blackwater land as agricultural, while the surrounding properties that consist of woods and land that is not currently being used agriculturally as residential at a higher tax rate.

Many of the local people in the area of Blackwater North are very troubled by its presence. There is a group of concerned citizens in Illinois that is working together to try and ensure that the presence of Blackwater in Illinois is held to a mimimum, if not done away with altogether. Blackwater is also attempting to start a new site in California. People there are also banding together to try and keep them out.

People have told me that Blackwater is a legitimite business, that I or no one else has the right to deny them as a business as long as they stay within the law. There are a great number of questions about the legality of what Blackwater has done in Illinois. As far as legitimacy, if Blackwater consisted of only training facilities it would be one thing. But Blackwater is involved in much more than that. For further information about this, I recommend you read Scahill's book. He knows far more about it than I, and has written the definitive fact book about Blackwater and the dangers to our democracy they represent.

It is a book that is very well written. It is also a book that should disturb all Americans, regardless of political belief. The vast majority of Blackwater contracts are with the U.S.Government. Blackwater employees make from 5-10 times what our military personnel make. In essence, taxpayers are paying more for the same services than what our own troops get paid. All the while, funding for our veteran's is being cut, and increases in pay for our troops is denied. That to me is criminal.

Get the book. Read it. Get involved with stopping Blackwater, the world's most powerful mercenary army, funded by the United States of America.

30 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

a Punter

Chilling account of the rise of the 'private contractors

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 26, 2017

Verified Purchase

Deeply researched and chilling account of the rise of the 'private contractors'. Worrying, but oddly logical, growth of the modern day mercenaries. Scahill takes a step-by-step approach to the factors before, during and after the 'opportunity' afforded to Blackwater by 'the war on terror'. The links to the theo-cons strikes a particularly ominous note.

Very small criticism is the book would have benefited from some better editing, particularly in the final third, However if I'd worked as hard unearthing such a volume of well referenced material I'd have been tempted to throw it all in as well.

2 people found this helpful

JDT

No matter what you think of a particular organisation I personally like to be presented with facts so that I can ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 21, 2015

Verified Purchase

It's a very informative book and very well written. The only reason it has 4 stars is because I felt there is a significant and particular opinion which comes over throughout the book by the author and his influence is defiantly orientated in a particular way. No matter what you think of a particular organisation I personally like to be presented with facts so that I can make my own mind up about things. That said it's a very good read and if you don't find anything though provoking about this book I would be very surprised indeed.

2 people found this helpful

Choppin Chilli

Alarming

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 19, 2019

Verified Purchase

An absolutely riveting read I couldn't put it down . An alarming account of the privatisation of the military and the intelligence world . A secretive move towards private armies serving over seas and at home with no one to answer to but themselves.

Amazon Customer

Good read and educating it's shows how the US and ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 21, 2017

Verified Purchase

Goes on a bit at times repeating its self. I have learnt that the UK is not the only country hell bent on privatising everything.
Good read and educating it's shows how the US and UK completely messed up Iraq.

One person found this helpful

D Cole

An amazing insight into corporate greed set way over the value ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

An amazing insight into corporate greed set way over the value of a human life...every tragedy seemed to be an opportunity to create more contracts, more money without any real way to slow down the juggernaut. A cracking read but it will leave you feeling deflated that the company actually seems to get away with it.

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