BASIC PRESS RELEASE
MONDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2004
EMBARGO: TUESDAY 28 SEPTEMBER,
0700 EST/ 1200 BST
New Report on Private Military and Security Companies
in Iraq
After 16 months of operations in Iraq, the conduct and effectiveness
of Private Military Companies (PMCs) is coming under growing scrutiny.
But while firms doing logistics work such as Halliburton have monopolized
the news, far less coverage has been devoted to the firms doing
security work. Supporters and detractors have made many claims but
presented little evidence. Serious analysis of PMCs has been lacking.
On September 28 (0700 EST), BASIC will publish online a major new
report:
A Fistful of Contractors:
The Case for a Pragmatic Assessment of Private Military Companies
in Iraq
The report provides a dispassionate and detailed analysis
of PMCs in Iraq. It answers such questions as: Who are they? What
are they doing? Is there sufficient accountability over their actions?
What measures are needed to ensure their operations are consistent
with international law and human rights standards?
The report describes the growing trend of the private
sector providing military services to governments and to other companies.
It examines: the demand for PMC services in Iraq; how PMCs use their
political connections to lobby for contracts; the regulation and
oversight mechanisms of government agencies; and the rules of engagement,
legal status and vetting procedures of PMCs. The report also explores
PMC involvement in the Abu Ghraib torture scandal and the legal
and political response by U.S. authorities.
According to the author, BASIC Senior Analyst David
Isenberg, "If there were an Oscar category for combat participants
in Iraq, PMCs would certainly win the nomination for best supporting
actor. While PMC operations have hardly been error free, the companies
have generally performed better than they are often given credit
for. The popular image of PMC personnel as a bunch of Oakley sunglass
wearing, gun-toting Rambos is not just out of date. It is plainly
wrong."
Among the report's findings:
- The total number of armed, non-Iraqi PMC personnel is less then
20,000, perhaps as few as 6,000.
- To date, at least 58 non-Iraqi PMC personnel (excluding those
who worked as truck drivers and the like) have died. If Iraqi
PMC personnel are included the toll is much larger.
- The lure of higher salaries is causing an exodus of U.S. and
British special forces to PMCs.
- PMCs have a somewhat ambiguous status under international law.
Even with new regulations under consideration by the Iraqi, U.S.
and British governments, it is likely that questions will still
remain over the combat status of PMC employees.
- Improved regulatory oversight of PMCs is urgently needed.
"A better understanding of how PMCs operate is a pre-requisite
to improving and strengthening government regulation and oversight
of their activities", said BASIC Executive Director, Dr Ian Davis.
"To that end, this report is both timely and necessary".
A Fistful of Contractors is available on the BASIC
web site: the Full Version (which
is only in pdf format and includes an extended listing of all the
main PMCs operating in Iraq, 1.9Mb) or Executive
Summary
For more information, please contact David Isenberg at (202) 546-8055,
Ext. 103 or 703-998-5590 (H).
Email, disenberg at basicint.org.
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