It's not like the American use of private armies like Blackwater in Iraq has exactly gone well.
However, we see Harper aping BushCo policy step for step:
The federal government has warned bidders on a high-profile reconstruction project in Afghanistan that they will largely be responsible for their own security, raising the prospect that private security firms will form the first line of defence against the Taliban.
The Harper government announced last month that the refurbishment of the Dahla Dam will be one of Canada’s “signature” projects in Kandahar province. Canada has promised to invest as much as $50 million over three years to repair the long-neglected dam and its irrigation system, which supplies most of the farmers in the province.
Well, this is just plain peachy isn't it? Assuming that HarperCo can find someone foolish enough to bid on this contract, and the winning bidder can find people desperate enough to work on the job, the safety of those workers is going to be in the hands of the bidding company?
Commercially speaking, no sane bidder is going to touch that contract. The costs associated with providing the required security in a combat zone would rapidly consume whatever margin was in the winning bid.
Practically speaking, mercenary armies are generally not a great idea. They tend to have their own chains of command, and individuals mercenaries may or may not pay much attention to it.
However, I think this little proposition tells us more about PMSH's motives and politics than it reveals about the situation in Afghanistan.
It demonstrates to the Canadian public that either the man is being run by handlers in the Bush Republicans, or that he is purely an ideologue who is willing to sacrifice critical thought and Canada's best interests on the altar of NeoCon dogma.
H/T: Boris @ The Galloping Beaver
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