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mau_reeny's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted more from this book. It's well-written, well-researched, and interesting but left me wanting. I wanted less bias. The author spends a lot of time criticizing right-wing politics in the US and while I'm generally wary of such ideology, heavy-handed references to "conquest" (as an example) distracted from more important points.
I also wish the book had dove deeper into the applicability, or lack thereof, of international law on private security. That is such an important consequence of the privatization of security that was barely touched on.
Lastly, the book is outdated. Obviously this isn't the author's fault, it's mine for only reading the book several years after its publication, but it is worth mentioning since major Blackwater-related events have since transpired, including the Nisour Square incident and the subsequent trial and conviction of the contractors involved and of course the selling of the firm, its re-branding to "Academi," and its merger with formal rival Triple Canopy.
Overall, it's a decent introduction to one particular company but still a small slice of the fascinating pie that is private security.
I also wish the book had dove deeper into the applicability, or lack thereof, of international law on private security. That is such an important consequence of the privatization of security that was barely touched on.
Lastly, the book is outdated. Obviously this isn't the author's fault, it's mine for only reading the book several years after its publication, but it is worth mentioning since major Blackwater-related events have since transpired, including the Nisour Square incident and the subsequent trial and conviction of the contractors involved and of course the selling of the firm, its re-branding to "Academi," and its merger with formal rival Triple Canopy.
Overall, it's a decent introduction to one particular company but still a small slice of the fascinating pie that is private security.
jeregenest's review against another edition
3.0
Good overview of one of the most famous player invovled in a very distressing trend.
caitlinxmartin's review against another edition
3.0
[a:Jeremy Scahill|55473|Jeremy Scahill|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg] has an ax to grind and a certain amount of bias shows through in this expose of Blackwater's corporate army. That said, the book is well-researched, reasonably well-written and will definitely switch your paranoia on.
The book takes you through the creation of Blackwater and the background of its CEO, Eric Prince, a neo-conservative Evangelical Christian who believes that he is fighting the Crusades. It's clear that Scahill believes that Blackwater is evil and I can't say that I disagree with him. I'm pretty uncomfortable with the notion of outsourcing wars and mercenary armies make me think uncomfortably of the Italian city states in the 10th to 15th century and their constant state of warfare funded by citizens and waged by mercenary bands.
I do have some quibbles with this book. The focus is almost entirely on Blackwater's involvement in Iraq with a few ancillary chapters on their involvement in other localities. I would have liked a broader view of the company and its activities. While his chapter on Blackwater's man on the ground in Chile is interesting, Scahill misses an incredible opportunity to trace the history of US involvement in Central and South America and the teaching of torture at the Academy of the Americas and frankly doesn't do a good enough job of explicating these mercenary's ties to the Pinochet government and why that is problematic. There is another missed opportunity in the chapter on Blackwater after Katrina - to observe that we had boots on the ground with guns on the Gulf Coast before there was humanitarian aid is disturbing, but again I would have liked more information about this and an analysis of how outsourcing is impacting our disaster relief efforts. Lastly, I found myself wishing Scahill was a business reporter - I think there's a big story in where the money is coming from and where it's going and I don't think this is explored well.
Overall this is an interesting book, but very topical. Three years after its publication it is beginning to show its age and in another three years it'll be creaky. I think Scahill has done a great job of investigative reporting, but less well on contextualizing his subject matter.
The book takes you through the creation of Blackwater and the background of its CEO, Eric Prince, a neo-conservative Evangelical Christian who believes that he is fighting the Crusades. It's clear that Scahill believes that Blackwater is evil and I can't say that I disagree with him. I'm pretty uncomfortable with the notion of outsourcing wars and mercenary armies make me think uncomfortably of the Italian city states in the 10th to 15th century and their constant state of warfare funded by citizens and waged by mercenary bands.
I do have some quibbles with this book. The focus is almost entirely on Blackwater's involvement in Iraq with a few ancillary chapters on their involvement in other localities. I would have liked a broader view of the company and its activities. While his chapter on Blackwater's man on the ground in Chile is interesting, Scahill misses an incredible opportunity to trace the history of US involvement in Central and South America and the teaching of torture at the Academy of the Americas and frankly doesn't do a good enough job of explicating these mercenary's ties to the Pinochet government and why that is problematic. There is another missed opportunity in the chapter on Blackwater after Katrina - to observe that we had boots on the ground with guns on the Gulf Coast before there was humanitarian aid is disturbing, but again I would have liked more information about this and an analysis of how outsourcing is impacting our disaster relief efforts. Lastly, I found myself wishing Scahill was a business reporter - I think there's a big story in where the money is coming from and where it's going and I don't think this is explored well.
Overall this is an interesting book, but very topical. Three years after its publication it is beginning to show its age and in another three years it'll be creaky. I think Scahill has done a great job of investigative reporting, but less well on contextualizing his subject matter.
markfeltskog's review against another edition
This is by any measure one of the high spots of investigative journalism over the past decade; it is comprehensive in every sense: exposition, narrative, and documentation, and Jeremy Scahill is a solid journalistic prose stylist. You won't find, I suspect, a more exhaustive study of private mercenary armies, their role in the overall corporate defense contracting infrastructure, or the threat they pose to our democratic republic. At the time of this book's publication, I saw Jeremy Scahill interviewed on one news program or another several times, and each time his interlocuter had to ask why organizations like Blackwater threaten democracy. The strength of this book--and Mr. Scahill as a writer--rests in the fact that while it provides you facts, it never presents conclusions. The facts themselves perform that task, which is what we ought to expect from our best journalists. Jeremy Scahill joins their ranks with this book.
captainfez's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
thedearest's review against another edition
3.0
Torn. On one hand I should have read this when it was more timely. On the other the rambling meant it sat on my shelf for far longer than it would've if it was written in a straightforward way