From Scott Horton, who watches this stuff:
The American decision to rely more heavily on contractors and to downplay the use of uniformed military in Afghanistan has led to a sharp detour in the process of nation-building, a Senate Armed Services Committee report (PDF) has concluded. To meet their security concerns, the contractors have turned to “warlords and strongmen linked to murder, kidnapping [and] bribery.” The report also documents incidents in which contractors have tendered payments to the Taliban.There's more detail at Horton's site, and in the embedded links. Senator Carl Levin's conclusion: "This situation threatens the security of our troops and puts the success of our mission at risk." He's too polite, making it sound like an accident.
Horton's conclusion:
[P]rivate security contractors often work at cross purposes with U.S. counterinsurgency policy.My conclusion? Welcome to money as a motivator, for all parties concerned; sends a tingle up my Galtian spine.
GP
