February 2015 – Engaging Peace

The Rise Of Mercenary Armies, Terrorism, and Peace. Part 1

Posted on February 26, 2015March 11, 2015 by kathiemm

Part 1 in a two part series by guest author Dr Majed Ashy

Burned buses near Garyounis university, Benghazi, possibly of pro-Qadafi forces, as they attacked Benghazi on March 19, 2011. Image by Maher27777. Image is in the public domain.

Mercenaries, or hired fighters, have been part of wars for hundreds of years. Today, there are many private companies that have armies ranging in size from few security detail individuals to large professional armies. The activities of these companies can be to provide security to individuals, organizations, or facilities, or to provide mercenaries who will fight wars.

For example, the US government contracted some of these companies to fight in Iraq in 2003, run prisons, and even participate in interrogations. In addition, some international organizations working in conflict zones hire private companies to provide mercenaries for security and protection. Some countries contract these companies to provide security for various facilities inside the country or abroad.

In the worst case scenario, we can see some wealthy individuals or groups or countries who might hire mercenary armies to commit atrocities or even terrorism in order to advance their narrow economical or power interests without being held accountable. For example, Qadafi of Libya had a large army of mercenaries from Africa and other nations that he relied on for protection, control of Libya, and to fight his wars. This has been a booming business and is attracting more investments.

Dr. Ashy is an assistant professor of psychology at Merrimack College and a research fellow in psychiatry at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. He was born in Lebanon and is a Saudi. He earned his B.A., M.A, and Ph.D. in psychology from Boston University. His research in psychoneuroimmunology and political psychology focuses on childhood experience of adversity and its psychobiological consequences.

American Sniper, Part 5

Posted on February 16, 2015March 15, 2015 by kathiemm

By guest author Ross Caputi. This is the last in a series discussing the implications of the new film, American Sniper.

Editor: see the review of American Sniper by Rolling Stone.

In the most recent segment of my review of American Sniper, I argue that there is an inherent moral dilemma that neither Chris nor the film’s enthusiasts. Specifically, Chris must either suppress legitimate armed resistance and defend an invading army, or violate his orders. This moral dilemma never once occurred to Chris Kyle. And the backlash that I’m sure this suggestion will generate attests to the war culture in our country that prevents us from seeing ourselves as Iraqis do, as the aggressor.

American Sniper illustrates well a major problem with veteran narrations about their war experience—they are often told through an emotionally charged, ideological filter that reflects the misinformation told to them by their leaders. And as a society we do nothing to correct these inaccurate accounts of America’s wars. Instead, we eat them up, celebrate them as truth, and feed them to the next generation of Americans who are doomed to make the same mistakes Chris and I made.

Partly, this dilemma comes from a general confusion stemming from the assumption that supporting the troops means not challenging their perceptions about the objectives of their mission, of who they were fighting against, and why. But I think also, as a society, we want veterans to tell us heroic, bitter-sweet stories about sacrifice and bravery. Voices like Chris Kyle’s emerge and are embraced because they tell us exactly what we want to hear. They merely reaffirm preexisting beliefs about the benevolence of American wars and the righteousness of American armed service people. That’s why American Sniper has been so successful. It reassures us of what we want to believe about Iraq and about our veterans, and Chris Kyle’s combat credentials make it believable.

At the end of the day, it’s the Chris Kyles whom we embrace as heroes, not the Chelsea Mannings. We will surely suffer for this as a society, but probably not before we make other societies suffer first.

Author’s bio: Ross Caputi is a former Marine who participated in the 2nd Siege of Fallujah. Today he is on the Board of Directors of the Islah Reparations Project. He is also the Director of the documentary film Fear Not the Path of Truth: a veteran’s journey after Fallujah Ross holds an MA in Linguistics and he is working on an MA in English Studies at Fitchburg State University. Read his blog here.

American Sniper, Part 4

Posted on February 12, 2015March 16, 2015 by kathiemm

U.S soldiers posing with beheaded Viet cong, — The above picture shows exactly what the brass want you to do in the Nam. The reason for printing this picture is not to put down G.I.’s but rather to illustrate the fact that the Army can really fuck over your mind if you let it. It’s up to you, you can put in your time just trying to make it back in one piece or you can become a psycho like the Lifer (E-6) in the picture who really digs this kind of shit. It’s your choice. Image is in the public domain.

by Guest Author Ross Caputi

As shown in the first three segments of my review of American Sniper, there are many well-documented facts, crucial to understanding the American presence in Iraq, but none of them come through in American Sniper. Instead, the plot is guided by Chris Kyle’s autobiography, in which his narration of his life story describes the Iraq war and occupation through the lens of a number of common, but false, beliefs—like, for example, that the people we were fighting against were evil because Islam taught them to kill Americans.

One scene shows Chris in a moral dilemma. He is on a rooftop with his sniper rifle, and through the scope he sees a woman walking with a young child next to her (presumably her son) as she carries a grenade toward a US patrol. Chris must either kill a mother and her child or leave his countrymen exposed to an attack.

In his autobiography, Chris says that this event happened in Nasiriya during the initial invasion. However, Clint Eastwood decided to situate this scene during the 2nd siege of Fallujah in 2004. Also, in the film the woman hands the grenade to her son and encourages him to rush at the US patrol, whereas in the book it is the woman who tries to throw the grenade. Did Clint Eastwood think that the woman’s involvement of her little son is a more representative portrayal of the Iraqi resistance? It’s not. These human-shield tactics were extremely rare and were only used by the most marginal and unpopular militias.

In the film, Chris kills both the woman and her son. Although visibly conflicted about what he felt obligated to do, he comments that, “that was evil like I ain’t never seen before.”

There is another moral dilemma in this scene that may not be obvious to American viewers: That woman had every right to attack the illegal, foreign invaders in her country, whether you agree with her tactics or not. We had no right to invade a sovereign nation, occupy it against the will of the majority of its citizens, and patrol their streets.

Author’s bio: Ross Caputi is a former Marine who participated in the 2nd Siege of Fallujah. Today he is on the Board of Directors of the Islah Reparations Project. He is also the Director of the documentary film Fear Not the Path of Truth: a veteran’s journey after Fallujah Ross holds an MA in Linguistics and he is working on an MA in English Studies at Fitchburg State University. Read his blog here.

American Sniper, Part 3

Posted on February 8, 2015February 8, 2015 by kathiemm

by Guest Author Ross Caputi

Let me reiterate, I am not accusing Chris Kyle, the American Sniper, of being guilty of war crimes, nor am I saying that he was a bad person.

I am arguing that he was not a hero. He and I both participated in an illegal and immoral war and occupation, and that deserves no praise or recognition. In particular, we both have the same blood on our hands for helping to destroy the city of Fallujah.

It was not the actions of individuals that made the 2nd siege of Fallujah the atrocity that it was. It was the way the mission was structured and orchestrated.

The US did not treat military action as a last resort as required by principles of just war. The peace negotiations with the leadership in Fallujah were canceled by the US.
Almost no effort was taken to make a distinction between civilian men and combatants—also in violation of international law. In fact, in many instances civilians and combatants were deliberately conflated.
All military aged males were forced to stay within the city limits of Fallujah (women and children were warned to flee the city) regardless of whether there was any evidence that they had picked up arms against the Americans. Also, water and electricity was cut to the entire city, and humanitarian aid was turned away. Thus, an estimated 50,000 civilians were trapped in their city during this month long siege without water or electricity and very limited supplies of food.
These civilians also had to survive a ground siege conducted with indiscriminate tactics and weapons, like the use of reconnaissance-by-fire, white phosphorous, and the bombing of residential neighborhoods. The main hospital was also treated as a military target.

The end result was a human tragedy, an event that should be remembered alongside other US atrocities like the massacres at Wounded Knee and My Lai Massacre.

Ross Caputi, a regular writer for engagingpeace.com, is a former Marine who participated in the 2nd Siege of Fallujah. Today he is on the Board of Directors of the Islah Reparations Project. He is also the Director of the documentary film Fear Not the Path of Truth: a veteran’s journey after Fallujah Ross holds an MA in Linguistics and he is working on an MA in English Studies at Fitchburg State University. Read his blog here.