JuanCarlos
New member
Isn't the re-up age pretty high, now?
It is. But they pay's a helluvalot lower.
Orrrr...they will go back into the military and ply their trade under strict oversight...that is, if they are not too old or have any mental defects
More likely they'll just get jobs with other contractors that haven't been kicked out. New nametag, same dude.
I agree. If Iraq is to be an independent country (that is the goal, right?) then they need to make their own internal decisions.
If they ask the rest of the coalition forces to leave, we should honor that request as well.
Heck, I'd go so far as to say it might be a good thing. Seeing them actually exercise a little sovereignty against our wishes is a sign that they might *gasp* actually be turning into a country. I'm not crazy about seeing our citizens subjected to their justice system, but I guess that's the price you pay when you decide to work there as a civilian instead of a soldier, and when we fail to deal with such things ourselves. It'll be interesting to see if we actually let that happen, though...my money's on "oh hell no."
Apparently we're still trying to convince them to let Blackwater stay. I personally think this is a huge mistake, since it goes against the above; it reinforces our image as an occupying army and destroys any illusion of sovereignty Iraq has. Especially since Blackwater isn't (IIRC) even one of the largest contractors in Iraq; just one of the more high profile ones. The services they provide could be easily replaced by a contract with another company, thus having no real effect except to Blackwater's bottom line.
I'm failing to see how their corporate profits are more important than Iraq's sovereignty.
And if they ask all PMCs to leave? I don't know. At that point we'd probably have to have a serious talk with them, because that would make it almost impossible for us to operate there. I may find our dependence on them unfortunate, but regardless it's very real. But hey, it's still their choice. If they asked all our forces to leave tomorrow our only legitimate option would be to ask them to change their minds...while having our soldiers start packing their duffel bags.