The issue: Should private armies run Afghanistan for us?
YES. See Erik Prince’s WSJ op/ed, which Bannon is championing: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-macarthur-model-for-afghanistan-1496269058
NO. McFate’s response to WSJ:
While I agree with Mr. Prince’s dire assessment of Afghanistan, his solution is flawed. First, what could be more un-American than an American Viceroy? It smacks of colonialism. Second, let’s not forget that MacArthur was fired by Truman for abuse of power. Not exactly a role model.Third, the mercenary armies of the British East India Company did much harm in India and bankrupted the Company. The British taxpayers had to bail out the Company in the mid-1800s, and then the government had to seize control. Lastly, I was a private military contractor for years, like Mr. Prince, and can tell you first hand there are many safety, accountability and moral concerns with mercenaries. I cannot think of a worse solution for Afghanistan.
McFate has recently been interviewed about the Trump Administration sending 3,000 troops back to Afghanistan and the recruitment of former child soldiers for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. McFate’s career began as a paratrooper and officer in the U.S. Army’s storied 82nd Airborne Division. He served under Stanley McChrystal and David Petraeus, and attended elite training programs, such as the US Army’s jungle warfare school in Panama.
Sean is available to speak about the above topic which is making headlines this week, as well as:
What will take to defeat ISIS. (Tie to Raqqa in Syria, Iraq, terrorism in Europe, Muslim travel ban.)
What is the “Deep State”? Deep States exist but they are not conspiracies, as some portray them. (I teach this as a professor.)
What is the future of the Middle East? States will dissolve but other things will replace them. Unfortunately the West lacks to tools to engage properly, compounding problems. We need new tools.
In addition, McFate, along with co-writer Bret Witter, has a new book out this August featuring private military contractor, Tom Locke in DEEP BACK (Morrow, on sale 8/8/2017, 9780062403735, $26.99). Locke and his team are on the run after a failed mission in the Ukraine. In Iraq they find work rescuing refugees trapped behind ISIS lines, they pay isn’t much. But Locke is offered good money to track down a young Saudi prince who may have joined ISIS. What Locke doesn’t know is that multiple sides of a clandestine war are scrambling to find the prince; and he could be the key to a new world order. As Locke pushes deeper into ISIS territory, he must navigate both the on-the-ground battle lines and the larger Deep State war he has stumbled into yet again.
McFate explains, “My thrillers are based on my real-life experiences and the plots expose the underbelly of geopolitical undercurrents. Readers will be fascinated, but walk away knowing more about the world than what is presented by the mainstream media.” McFate lends his authoritative voice to DEEP BLACK and builds on the incredibly realistic world of military contractor Tom Locke.
The LOWE-Down!
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