Blackwater founder Erik Prince testifies before a House committee examining the mission and performance of private military contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, Oct. 2, 2007. (Susan Walsh/AP)
Two of President Donald Trump’s closest aides have reportedly solicited advice from two wealthy private military contractors — Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater, and Stephen Feinberg, the billionaire owner of DynCorp International—on how to proceed with the sixteen-year-long war in Afghanistan.
According to the New York Times, White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and senior advisor Jared Kushner “recruited” the contractors, who have made a hefty sum from perpetual conflict in the Middle East, “to devise alternatives to the Pentagon’s plan to send thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan.”
Following a meeting with Bannon and Kushner, Prince and Feinberg have “developed proposals to rely on contractors instead of American troops in Afghanistan,” the Times notes.
“The highly unusual meeting dramatizes the divide between Mr. Trump’s generals and his political staff over Afghanistan, the lengths to which his aides will go to give their boss more options for dealing with it and the readiness of this White House to turn to business people for help with diplomatic and military problems,” the Times reports. “But it also raises a host of ethical issues, not least that both men could profit from their recommendations.”
As Common Dreams reported last month, Prince penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal in which he recommended a “viceroy approach” in Afghanistan that would rely heavily on private security forces.
Critics characterized Prince’s proposals as tantamount to “colonialism” and argued they exude “sheer 19th-century bloodlust and thirst for empire.”
Following the Times reporting on Monday, commentators denounced the attempt to give credence to the ideas of war profiteers as “lunacy.”
This is lunacy; a real estate brat and a former film producer/right wing extremist are laying out military options? https://t.co/owkFVDuaB7
— David Leopold (@DavidLeopold) July 11, 2017
This story of the Trumpers' military incoherence & corruption–featuring Erik Prince–shouldn't get lost in the din. https://t.co/BLEGE6Te1g pic.twitter.com/VYiOJRwOxA
— Joshua Holland (@JoshuaHol) July 11, 2017
Bannon & Kushner asked ***the Blackwater guy*** to pitch a plan to outsource the Afghan war to contractors. Unreal. https://t.co/7oOvEKqFcs pic.twitter.com/naFqmRc7MX
— Eric Geller (@ericgeller) July 11, 2017
#1: misterwhite To: Deckard (#0)
This will be their uniform:
misterwhite posted on 2017-07-12 15:00:25 Reply Private Reply
#2: Anthem To: Deckard (#0)
Anthem posted on 2017-07-12 15:00:47 Reply Private Reply
#3: Vicomte13 To: Deckard (#0)
As Gomer would say: "Well SOO-prise! SOO-prise! SOO-prise!"
Vicomte13 posted on 2017-07-12 17:12:50 Reply Private Reply
#4: Justified To: Deckard (#0)
Well let me play devils advocate. Who should we ask? Schumer, Clinton or RP?
If the same old thing is not working why not think out of the box. Why not ask people who are there? Smart men ask those that know the problem and deal with it everyday.
Advice is free. Listening is free. So what is the issue?
We need to find a way out that will keep isis or whomever from stepping in and undoing what a ton of American blood was spilt to get. Me I would love to leave the ME and let them kill each other. But we know progressives have to meddle in everyone's business.
As far as Im concerned we can break the world into western society, Asia, Africa's, ME, Lower America's. But we know progressives must medal in everyone's affair for the sake of a breaking things.
Justified posted on 2017-07-12 17:32:17 Reply Private Reply