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Jeremy Scahill, National Security Reporter for The Nation magazine, talks about the United States’ increasingly unpopular counter-terrorism efforts in Yemen.

 

Recently Kenyan forces invaded Somalia in a bid to fight the militant group Al-Shaabab. The United States has also been heavily involved in the country in recent years— allegedly establishing CIA bases, carrying out drone strikes, and providing funding for militants. The Nation’s Jeremy Scahill looks at the political situation in Somalia and the history of recent interventions in the war-torn and famine wracked country.

The Nation’s Jeremy Scahill joins us to take a look at the elite Navy SEALS from the Joint Special Operations Command who participated in the raid that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.

Despite its long list of troubles, including federal investigations and indictments, the company formerly known as Blackwater has been awarded millions of dollars in contracts by the Obama Administration. The Nation’s Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, explains why.

Earlier this month President Obama announced the United States would increase its military presence in Afghanistan. But more than just extra troops are going to the country—they will likely be accompanied by an additional surge of private contractors in support roles. What’s more, the government has contracted with an additional ...

The Obama administration reportedly plans to add 14,000 combat troops to those already in Afghanistan. The plan is to swap out military clerical workers and other support staff for so-called “trigger pullers” – combat troops that will serve on the front lines of the fight against the Taliban. Picking up the clerical slack? Private contractors. There are more than 68,000 private contractors already working in Afghanistan, which is more than the number of American troops in the country. This news comes hot on the heels of reports that members of ArmorGroup North America, the private security firm that guards the U.S. embassy in Kabul, were engaged in lewd and deviant behavior while off duty.

To find out what this increase in private contractors means and who monitors their work, we speak with Jeremy Scahill, the author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, and with Doug Brooks, president of the International Peace Operations Association, a trade organization for military contractors.

Jeremy Scahill, reporter for The Nation and author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army (Nation Books, 2007), discusses the role of private contractors in the Iraq war, and Blackwater's recent troubles in Iraq.

Blackwater is available for purchase at Amazon.com