This book is a tough one to review. While I did learn many things I hadn’t known about the company before it didn’t come without spin. This book is probably the most liberally biased book I have ever read. Unlike many other books with a left leaning slant this one doesn’t provide even the slightest bit of balance. The video below is but a spoonful of book.
When Scahill opens the book with a couple chapters of the company’s history, it is fair to give a brief biography of the founder Erik Prince and his affiliations. I have no problem with that, but later when using it in covering Blackwater operations in such a touchy subject as Iraq however, I do have a problem. Like many people are discussing or avoiding the discussion of race in this current election cycle about Barack Obama, Scahill tries to pin a company’s operations on the Christian religious beliefs of its founder Erik Prince. This is a very poor choice, in my opinion to try and label operations such as Iraq is extremely naive and untrue. It is appropriate in such instances to address such issues as Bosnia where the Christian majority was committing genocide on Muslims in the region. Or when Jews and other ethnic minorities were being rounded up in sent into death camps in World War II. Iraq however is not about religion (except in instances when talking about the breakdown of ethnic parties inside Iraqi parliament, or the resistance). What Scahill is trying to do is pin this as a Christian v Muslim struggle which I disapprove of with no end.
In parts of the book particularly relating to Iraq it seems more like an anti-Bush rant, rather than anything to do with Blackwater. Scahill is a classic finger pointer fueling his arguments by selective history and statistics.
The two main parts that I can give huge credit to Scahill is when he is talking about the hiring of international contractors. He does an excellent job of talking about specifically the Honduran and Chilean contractors who were hired to join the company. Even better is Scahill’s description of Blackwater operations inside the Caucus region, specifically inside the recently hot area of Georgia and Azerbaijan. With some political slant as to the need of these operations he deeply describes the companies directive inside the region, which at some times seems contradictory to previous statements or ideas made by the author.
One part I think Scahill sidestepped for the most part was Blackwater’s training programs that are used by various Law Enforcement agencies. I personally have met with various federal law enforcement agencies from such organizations as the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, among several other organizations that give high praises for Blackwater’s training programs. While Scahill mentions that they do offer these programs, he conveniently semi-sidesteps explaining them in great detail.
One area that I feel was unfinished, unclear, and contradictory was about Blackwater and its legal issues inside the court system. Such cases and precedences that were fought were Blackwater’s immunity to lawsuits for wrongful deaths in which they claimed they were exempt because they are part of the “Total Force” under Pentagon directives. This specific case was later rejected by the US Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts.
For Scahill’s first published book it is extremely well written, and a high bar to follow for future non-fiction titles to follow. Overall, I would still recommend the book but with extreme caution, and would instead suggest finding a book that offers facts and leaves deciding up to the reader, like an unrelated book, Death of a Revolutionary: Che Guevara’s Last Mission by Richard L Harris.
I saw this book at the bookstore the other day and wondered if it was, in fact, the one you were reading.
Watching the video, I instantly knew this guy would be very far left because he was being interviewed or promoting his book through “The Nation” which is basically the Progressive version of the Conservative “Weekly Standard.” Obviously I haven’t read it yet so I can’t comment on his facts but I don’t think his political ideologies necessarily discount what he’s writing as long as his information is correct.
One thing that you mentioned which was also touched on in the video was the beliefs of the Blackwater President. I think it’s important when looking in the context of the Iraq war and all of the companies involved that the private sector is benefiting immensely from the occupation and that some of those groups have close ties to the Bush Administration (Haliburton being the most infamous example with Dick Cheney being a former board member).
Maybe we can trade books we read over the summer when we get back because this is one book that I’d like to look over.
Comment by mendicantbias — August 12, 2008 @ 3:58 PM
Yeah, but there is a difference about only presenting one side of an issue, which Scahill does. I also hate books that tell you what to think instead of presenting facts and leaving it up to your interpretation. Scahill is also so far left he writes like everything is set in stone, and little was determined by the history and events before 9/11. There is also a difference between subjective writing and objective writing. This book no doubt is subjective.
Comment by genuistim — August 12, 2008 @ 6:15 PM
Again getting back to the ties, it is fair to examine affiliations of founding, but pushing it beyond that point to try and push a subliminal message like Scahill done is wrong.
Comment by genuistim — August 12, 2008 @ 6:17 PM
[...] from an alternative point of view may fall into some of the same pitfalls as my previous Blackwater review. People complain about facts and go to watchdog sites and others instead of reading and researching [...]
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