The outsourcing of war
Something that has come up from time to time in WHYS meetings, or has cropped up in e-mails from listeners, is the issue of "mercenaries", or the people who are privately employed in Iraq and other war zones around the world. They can be employed for a number of reasons; to help rebuild, some are trained as lawyers, or some, are armed and fight as the military do.
Jeremy Scahill has investigated one American company who train "private armies" to operate in international war zones. Blackwater "has its own military base, a fleet of twenty aircraft and 20,000 troops at the ready". If you don't have time to read , Jeremy wrote for today's Guardian newspaper, in which he expresses concern about who these armies are answering to.
I spoke to Jeremy earlier on the phone and he told me that there are 180 private companies like Blackwater operating in Iraq alone.
I also spoke to Doug Brooks earlier, he works for the who are the trade association for Blackwater and other companies like it. Doug is concerned with the message Jeremy Scahill is sending out and says companies like Blackwater support peacekeeping in countries the world over.
Jeremy will be in the WHYS studio in London on Thursday 2nd August, Doug will be in the studio in Washington. They're ready to talk to each other, and of course, to you. Do you have any questions for either of them? What do you think of private companies being able to enter war zones? Do you know anybody who has worked for one of these companies? We'd love to hear from you - post your comments here, or e-mail worldhaveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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