On AlterNet: military contractors

Stories, blog posts, and videos tagged as "military contractors"

We Must Force Obama to Stick to His Deadline to Withdraw From Iraq

Raed Jarrar, AlterNet. May 18, 2010.

Two key deadlines are approaching for U.S. troops to exit Iraq, deadlines that were won through the work of millions of Iraqis and Americans. We can't stop now.

How You Can Demand an Afghanistan Exit Strategy

Katrina vanden Heuvel, TheNation.com. April 29, 2010.

A vote on legislation demanding a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan could could come up in the next two weeks. Let Congress know you support the bill.

$6 Billion Later, Afghan Cops Aren't Ready to Serve

T. Christian Miller, ProPublica. March 23, 2010.

Since 2002, the U.S. has spent $6 billion in an effort to create an effective Afghan police force -- but the program has been a disaster.

VIDEO: The Same Wasteful Reconstruction Practices in Iraq Are Happening in Afghanistan

The Huffington Post Investigative FundMarch 4, 2010.

In the past 8 years, the U.S. has allocated $51 billion to rebuild Afghanistan. But tracking that money sometimes seems as challenging as finding the leaders of the Taliban.

The Other Victims of Battlefield Stress; Defense Contractors’ Mental Health Neglected

T. Christian Miller, ProPublica. February 26, 2010.

Defense contractors in the field suffer war trauma just as soldiers do—but don’t have the insurance safety net veterans enjoy.

Bill Maher: When Did Making a Profit Become the Only Reason to Do Anything?

Bill Maher, Huffington Post AlterNet: PEEK. July 27, 2009.

It used to be that there were some services and institutions so vital to our nation that they were exempt from market pressures. Not anymore.

Halliburton's Army: How Cheney's Former Firm Revolutionized Warmaking and Screwed Us in the Process

Renée Feltz, Indypendent. February 10, 2009.

A new book on Halliburton looks at how a symbol of epic fraud in Iraq achieved so little with so much money.

Obama Could Issue an Executive Order to End the Wars Tomorrow (Yes, It's That Simple)

Nora Eisenberg, AlterNet. January 29, 2009.

In a wide-ranging interview, veteran Paul Sullivan discusses Bush, Obama and the legacies of the Gulf War.

KBR Kept Foreign Contractors in Squalid Warehouses for Months

Adam Ashton, McClatchy Newspapers. December 5, 2008.

Some 1,000 Asian workers have spent up to three months in windowless warehouses in Baghdad, without money or a place to work.

Getting to the Bottom of the Deceptive, Secretive and Artificial Iraq-U.S. Negotiations

Phyllis Bennis, Foreign Policy in Focus. October 27, 2008.

Whatever the U.S.-Iraqi "agreement" ends up looking like, it is unlikely to have much of an effect on the occupation.

Controversial Status of Forces Agreement Facing Iraqi Opposition

Middle East OnlineOctober 20, 2008.

While some reports are treating the SOFA as a forgone conclusion, top Iraqi players are fiercely opposing it.

Private Military Contractors Writing the News? The Pentagon's Propaganda at Its Worst

Liliana Segura, AlterNet. October 17, 2008.

Months after the Pentagon pundits flap, the Department of Defense continues to hand down contracts for propaganda in Iraq and beyond.

Military Contractors Are Still Getting the Kid Glove Treatment

Nick Schwellenbach, Right Web. September 12, 2008.

A government agency tasked with managing private contracts is bending under the weight of its misplaced priorities.

Mercenary Pariahs

Digby, Hullabaloo AlterNet: PEEK. April 28, 2008.

Mercenary-for-hire corporation Blackwater Worldwide isn't feeling the love from the San Diego.

Pentagon Propaganda: So Much Worse Than We Thought

John Stauber, Sheldon Rampton, PR Watch. April 25, 2008.

The Bush Administration has spent millions on deceptive PR to sell the war, as recently documented in the New York Times. Where's the fallout?

Another Brutal Rape Cover-Up at KBR

Karen Houppert, The Nation. April 4, 2008.

Another female KBR employee has come forward with allegations of sexual assault in Iraq.

The bottom line is that the privatization of U.S. National Security is a trend that has been ongoing for years. And the billions of dollars disappeared by contractors in Iraq make disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff look like Little Bo Peep.

Families of Dead Military Contractors Before Congress [VIDEO]

Evan Derkacz, AlterNet: Video. February 8, 2007.

Blackwater lied, intimidated its way to profits...

100,000 mercenaries, the forgotten "Surge"

Barry Lando, AlterNet: PEEK. January 8, 2007.

Barry Lando: Nobody's got it right on the number already there...