Currently in Afghanistan, there are 121000 US contractors and 68000 US troops. As a result of the coming surge, another 30000 troops and 56000 contractors are expected. But US lawmakers are afraid that the mistakes that plagued military contracting in Iraq will be repeated in Afghanistan. Will the shadow armies be required to protect the Afghan civilian population? What are the chances that military contractors could cause major damage to Americas mission in Afghanistan? Will the Obama administration be able to prevent the waste, fraud and abuse seen in Iraq? In a globalised world, perhaps it was inevitable that private companies would become major players in diplomacy. But the fact is that contractors are doing the job that the State Department, Pentagon and CIA once did on their own. Recently the CIA announced that it had stopped using Blackwater (now known as Xe Services) to conduct raids and other special operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but some press reports say Xe Services are still at the center of a secret program in Karachi, Pakistan, where they plan assassinations of suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda members, among other operations. In this episode, we examine the role of US military contractors in Afghanistan as the US widens its footprint there. Joining Riz is Dov Zakheim, who was the Comptroller of the US Department of Defense from 2001-2004. He was also the coordinator of civilian programs in Afghanistan for the Pentagon from 2002-2004. He currently is a <b>...</b>Author: AlJazeeraEnglish
Duration: 22:23
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Riz Khan - US MILITARY CONTRACTORS IN AFGHANISTAN
Anger is growing among Americans - who say less money should be spent on the country's overseas military campaigns and more on tackling the country's domestic problems. US congressman Dennis Kucinich, who spoke exclusively to RT's Dina Gusovsky, says America can no longer afford war-based economy.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair joined University President Richard C. Levin and Ernesto Zedillo, former President of Mexico and director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, for a conversation before the Yale community in Battell Chapel on December 10 at 4 pm Blair is teaching a Faith and Globalization seminar at Yale as a Howland Distinguished Fellow. His teaching colleagues are Miroslav Volf, director of the Center for Faith and Culture and the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology, and Douglas Rae, the Richard S. Ely Professor of Management and Professor of Political Science. The seminar explores issues concerning the public roles of religious faiths in the context of globalization. The course, first introduced in 2008, is a joint offering of the School of Management under Dean Sharon M. Oster and the Divinity School under Dean Harold Attridge.
Lies Lies Lies Lies Lies Lies This, my friends, is the ultimate clip regarding WMD lies - the clip we have all been waiting for. All the lies of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell compiled together, brilliantly done, with some great "extra" material.
On Sat., Dec. 12, 2009, Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) was one of the featured speakers at the emergency End-the-US-Wars rally. See for background: www.enduswars.org The event was held in Lafayette Park, opposite the White House. Rep. Kucinich has acted as the conscience of the House of Representatives in opposing US wars of aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It's the biggest battle of Barack Obama's first year: fixing a health care system in crisis. Plagued by both spiraling costs and tens of millions uninsured, lawmakers have worked at a feverish pitch debating how to re-tool what accounts for nearly a fifth of the American economy. Meanwhile this broken system is highly profitable for many. In the back rooms a battle is raging as the powerful health care industry pushes for change that wont change their bottom line. On this weeks episode of Fault Lines, we go inside the American health care system, expose its cracks, and uncover the forces that are spending millions of dollars every day to influence the debate over health care reform. Follow on Twitter: twitter.com Follow on Facebook: facebook.com Follow on Instagram: www.instagram.com See all episodes of Fault Lines: www.youtube.com Meet the Fault Lines Team: aje.me
US media form an ideological divide over Obama's healthcare reforms / double standard in the media for foreign and local journalists in Afghanistan
