Assassination Inc.
By Daniel PolitiFrom Slate (8/20/09):
"The New York Times leads with word that the CIA hired contractors from Blackwater USA to take part in an assassination program that targeted top al-Qaida operatives. Blackwater is a private security contractor, now known as Xe Services LLC, that has come under scrutiny for using excessive force against Iraqi civilians. The Washington Post also leads the news in its late edition, and while it gives credit to the NYT for first reporting the story, it takes it a step further by saying that the whole of the assassination program was outsourced to Blackwater in 2004 and the private contractor was given "operational responsibility for targeting terrorist commanders." For its part, the NYT isn't clear as to whether the contractors were going to be used to kill or capture al-Qaida suspects or just for training and surveillance in the larger program. Regardless, the program was canceled before any missions were actually carried out."
It has been said that the CIA used to have it's own hit squads and may have killed some world leaders viewed as enemies or threats to the USA (such as Peron in Argentina). There were also stories about JFK trying to hire the Mafia to take out Fidel Castro. Do you think it is a dangerous idea for the US government to be seeking to assasinate world leaders (e.g., Chaves, Ahmajinedad)? Maybe not world leaders, but just terrorists? Is it OK for us to outsource such activity to private companies like Blackwater (or whatever it's being called now)? Your thoughts?
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