On Sunday, there was a shootout in Iraq. No big deal, right? Happens all time? But this one was different, because it wasn’t between insurgents and coalition troops, or between different Iraqi groups. The shootout was between guards who worked for the private military company Blackwater USA and and Iraqi civilians. Anywhere from 8-20 Iraqi’s were left dead, depending on your source. The circumstances surrounding the shootout are in question but Iraq has revoked Blackwater’s license and their right to operate in Iraq.
I find this whole issue interesting because it brings up the issue of sovereignty and who exactly has the power in Iraq–the Iraqi’s or the Americans. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has said he wants Blackwater gone, but the U.S. is advocating a wait-and-see approach to this.
Join us as we speak with Naomi Klein, who is an expert on disaster capitalism and the author of The Shock Doctrine, about this issue.
-Jessica
