Print
Email
ShareNew Perils in Iraq
A new wave of sectarian violence has broken out in Iraq as the United States shifts its military and strategic focus to Afghanistan. Analysts...
Interviewee: José Gomez del Prado, Chairperson-Rapporteur, UN Working Group on Private Security Contractors
Interviewer: Greg Bruno, Staff Writer
December 20, 2007
In Iraq and Afghanistan thousands of private soldiers protect foreign diplomats, guard bases, and secure infrastructure. The U.S. military says it can’t do its job without the help of contracted security firms. Yet the killing of seventeen Iraqis by the American-based Blackwater Worldwide on September 16 opened a heated debate into the legality of outsourcing military functions. Now, the United Nations has begun to weigh in.
José Gomez del Prado, chairman of a UN working group investigating security contractors, says Western firms are increasingly employing third country nationals to work in high-risk areas like Iraq. Gomez del Prado, who presented his findings to the UN General Assembly in November 2007, says “thousands” of trained guards from Latin America and Asia are employed by Blackwater-like companies. He says the practice has created a “labyrinth of contracts” and a potential legal minefield for the international community.
Terms of Use: I understand that I may access this audio and/or video file solely for my personal use. Any other use of the file and its content, including display, distribution, reproduction, or alteration in any form for any purpose, whether commercial, noncommercial, educational, or promotional, is expressly prohibited without the written permission of the copyright owner, the Council on Foreign Relations. For more information, write outreach@cfr.org.
Saudi Arabia on the Edge
A leading Middle East scholar pens this "good introduction to the Saudi paradox of social change and political stability and an invaluable guide to the challenges the country faces." More
American Force
An investigation of the use of American force since the end of the Cold War. More
The Struggle for Egypt
A sweeping account of Egypt in the modern era: what Egypt is, what it stands for, and its relation to the world. More
Saudi Arabia in the New Middle East
Gause posits that, though the Arab Awakening has caused tensions in Saudi-American relations, the two countries do not face a crisis and still have significant mutual interests that should be prioritized.
Partners in Preventive Action
The authors assess the strengths and weaknesses of international institutions and provide a set of practical recommendations for how the United States can strengthen the global architecture for preventive action by partnering with those organizations.
A new wave of sectarian violence has broken out in Iraq as the United States shifts its military and strategic focus to Afghanistan. Analysts...
President Obama says ending the war in Iraq will require a new definition of victory, and experts add that the United States should expect no...
The promotion of General Petraeus to Centcom chief could have profound implications for Washington's long-term strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As military and political leaders debate future U.S. troop commitments to Iraq, the next U.S. president is put on notice.