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| ![Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army [Revised and Updated]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ZopVuqGsL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Author: Jeremy Scahill
Publisher: Nation Books
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  255 reviews
Sales Rank: 4916
Media: Paperback
Edition: Rev Upd
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 452
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.6 x 2
ISBN: 156858394X
Dewey Decimal Number: 355.3540973
EAN: 9781568583945
ASIN: 156858394X
Publication Date: May 26, 2008
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| Customer Reviews:
 Important and Timely: buy it for you and your friends. March 20, 2007
70 out of 101 found this review helpful
This expose is yet another in a line of Journalistic accounts of how the US is losing the "war on terror" (as it has already lost the "war on drugs"). When you need to outsource any aspect of your own dirty work to private for-profit corporations, you know you're in trouble. This country is in big, big trouble and this book simply highlights (another) reason why and how this sad state of affairs came to be.
Do not be swayed by the negative reviewers here: they claim this author is biased and unfair. I would claim that *they* are biased and unfair and perhaps if they wrote more than one review (this one), I would tend to believe their claims. They are smearing this book and its facts because they are scared of the truth; they are scared of this book so they attack it like they attack everything else that frightens them: by terrorizing others with lies, fraudulent "patriotism" and dirty bombs.
 Silly Hippy Fiction - Do not waste your $$$ March 19, 2007
45 out of 250 found this review helpful
It was obvious from the title the author has a far left viewpoint. Still, I held out hope the work would be objectively written. It was not to be. The book is nothing more than liberal, left-wing propaganda. Mr. Scahill throws in some facts with a lot of words like "dark", "evil", "secret" and "conspiracy". Mr. Scahill is so repetitive in slamming the subject of the book that it becomes silly. It is silly because the author honestly believes readers cannot form their own opinions based on facts and viewpoints from both sides. Mr. Scahill couldn't present both sides because he never interviewed the people running or working for Blackwater. Every quote I read in the book from people actually inside the industry was taken from print or internet articles. Save yourself some money - Google Blackwater, read the articles and make up your own mind. If you really, really want to read a book about privatization of security functions get "License to Kill" by Robert Young Pelton. It is a fair and objective book that clearly states what the author sees as the pros and cons of the trend as it relates to global politics. Mr. Scahill's work reminds me of a Michael Moore film. Twist reality until it fits your viewpoint, then sell it to the public through fear and sensationalism.
A Polemic at Best; It Cheats Americans March 19, 2007
48 out of 241 found this review helpful
BLACKWATER - The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" is yet but one more polemic that cheats the American people out of what they most need; accuracy and objectivity. While I am very familiar with the private security industry, I loathe the "journalistic" and "academic" writings regarding it. I am neither friend nor foe to Blackwater, but part of the reason why I still explore the issues is that nobody is writing objectively about this industry, rather the draw seems to be advancing political agendas, and Jeremy Scahill proves to be no different. Mr. Scahill seems to go to great lengths to separate himself from his previous position at The Nation magazine and qualify himself an "independent journalist", yet Nation Books published this work. Interestingly, Mr. Scahill spoke to no leader at Blackwater, yet a quick Google search shows that Blackwater has spoken to many credible journalists. Why not Mr. Scahill? One can only surmise that after reading a few of Mr. Scahill's articles that Blackwater saw no value in speaking to such an extremist writer. Why would anyone choose to speak to an extremist writer? The American people have every right to know how their tax dollars are being spent, but they also deserve unemotional, accurate information devoid of political rhetoric. Unfortunately, that rhetoric is evident in both Congress (on both sides of the aisle) and in Mr. Scahill's less-than-impressive attempt to openly smear a company contracted (more than once) by the US Government. Is every republican a religious fanatic? Is every Democrat a tree hugger? We lose any chance at a solution when we so polarize important issues. We, as a Nation, are faced with dire world conditions and extremist writing like this serves none of us. We need truth and objectivity to make decisions, not polemics. Blackwater may turn out to be the devil incarnate, or true heroes in very trying times, but we won't find out the truth reading books like this from Mr. Scahill.
 Not what I thought March 19, 2007
25 out of 189 found this review helpful
This definitely was not what I thought it was going to be...a book about Blackwater. Well, I wasn't completely mistaken in that this is a bookd about Blackwater and it's rise to power in the fight against terrorism as seen through the eyes of a liberal writer bent on showing only the worst of the war and Blackwater's involvement in such. Not a good read at all.
An unflinching serious work of journalism March 18, 2007
492 out of 569 found this review helpful
I read this book in one night after hearing Mr. Scahill speak in Washington DC. The book is a remarkable and bracing wake up call about the privatization of war and how that subverts even basic notions of democracy. I find it remarkable that people criticize Mr. Scahill for using terms like "radical Christian right" - as if these terms are caricatures and ad hominem attacks. Hardly. In fact Schaill then spends hundreds of pages breaking down exactly what is so "radical Christian right" about Blackwater. He is a serious journalist who has uncovered a story that is both illuminating and frightening. It's hard to have any respect for people who say "I didn't even get to the first page" and then feel like they can write a review on its content.
Last point: As good a writer as Scahill is, he's a better public speaker. People should go hear what he has to say. These aren't easy truths to consume, but they are truths that define and explain the current calamaties unleashed on the world
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