al-Maliki Yanks Blackwater's licence

[Michael Tee]

from today's AP
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070917/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

The giant American "contractor" (provider of mercenaries) got its licence to operate in Iraq yanked by the Iraq government for shooting to death eight Iraqi civilians during an exchange of gunfire with Resistance fighters.  This'll be interesting.  Blackwater is very well-connected to the Bush administration.  I think we're gonna see who is the real boss in Iraq.  My money's on Blackwater.  Al-Maliki will have to back down.

OTOH, if he doesn't, it only proves the ineptness of the Bush administration.  Basically it would mean that they picked the wrong guy to head up their puppet regime, an obvious danger from the beginning.  They just don't have the street smarts to know who's on their side and who's just kissing their ass till the moment comes for the stab in the back.  (Not a mixed metaphor 'cause it's physically possible, OK?)

Now if they were REALLY smart what they would do is let al-Maliki yank the licence while Blackwater's men continue to operate as employees of a wholly-owned subsidiary, or better yet, a subsidiary in which al-Maliki and his pals have a 15% interest through dummy corporations set up by their relatives.  Probably already doing it, though.

[BT]

Some circuitous logic being used here.

How about it is what it is.

Blackwater had their license yanked, pending investigation both bythe US State Department and the Iraqi Govt.

My guess is they will be a bit more circumspect and in better control of their personnel in the future.

[Michael Tee]

<<How about it is what it is. >>

How about it will be what it's gonna be?  The interesting part comes later, when we find out if the licence stays yanked or not.  That's when we're either gonna learn something about sovereignty or about puppetry.

[Amianthus]

How about it will be what it's gonna be?  The interesting part comes later, when we find out if the licence stays yanked or not.  That's when we're either gonna learn something about sovereignty or about puppetry.

Well, according your earlier post, if doesn't stay yanked, it proves they're a puppet. If it does stay yanked, then they're still a puppet, but Bush was too incompetent about who he picked.

[sirs]

How about it will be what it's gonna be?  The interesting part comes later, when we find out if the licence stays yanked or not.  That's when we're either gonna learn something about sovereignty or about puppetry.

Well, according your earlier post, if doesn't stay yanked, it proves they're a puppet. If it does stay yanked, then they're still a puppet, but Bush was too incompetent about who he picked.

MUST fit the template     

[Michael Tee]

<<Well, according your earlier post, if doesn't stay yanked, it proves they're a puppet. If it does stay yanked, then they're still a puppet, but Bush was too incompetent about who he picked.>>

The earlier post AND the last one - - what did you think I meant when I said the results would either teach us about sovereignty or about puppetry?

I know how badly you'd like the end of the story to "prove" your ridiculous theories that it's NOT all about installing a puppet government and grabbing the oil, but since that's what it IS in real life, any real-life ending to Blackwater's licence problems can only illustrate what IS, not what ISN'T.

[Michael Tee]

from today's AP - -

<<Blackwater has insisted its employees acted in self-defense and that those killed were armed combatants who threatened State Department personnel.

<<Both Iraqi officials appeared to soften the government's position after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice assured Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of a fair and transparent investigation.>>

Is that hilarious or what?  A sovereign state that can't even investigate killings of its own citizens on its own territory by American corporations.  Oh, and don't bother to stay up for the results of the "fair and transparent investigation."    I could write it for them myself if I had some spare time this afternoon.  Sovereignty, it's beautiful.

[Amianthus]

Is that hilarious or what?  A sovereign state that can't even investigate killings of its own citizens on its own territory by American corporations.

Well, Canada has been known for blocking extradition to the US of people that are wanted for killing US citizens. Canada can do it, why can't the US?

[_JS]

Well, Canada has been known for blocking extradition to the US of people that are wanted for killing US citizens. Canada can do it, why can't the US?

The glaringly obvious difference being that the Canada does not have de facto military occupation over the United States sovereign territory, nor are the killings in reference being done by Canadian mercenary corporations.

The example is not parallel at all.

[Michael Tee]

<<Well, Canada has been known for blocking extradition to the US of people that are wanted for killing US citizens. Canada can do it, why can't the US?>>

Since Canada doesn't have capital punishment, it won't extradite without guarantees that the guy won't be executed.  Otherwise they go to trial in the U.S. provided the extradition is in order.  And incidentally I don't know of a single case where we didn't get the guarantee when asked for, or where the alleged criminal was not sent back.

But your analogy is way off, anyway.  My point had to do with the normal ability of a sovereign state to investigate and prosecute crimes against its own citizens committed on its own territory.  Some countries hosting U.S. troops do have "status-of-forces" agreements that permit the U.S military to try its own rapists and murderers for crimes committed on host-country soil against host-country citizens, but there are none that I know of that have renounced the right to try non-military personnel for such crimes.  Iraq is demonstrating for us a "new concept" of "sovereignty."  Put another way, they are showing the idiots who still believe that the U.S. wants a free and independent sovereign Iraqi state how stupid that idea really is.