For Iraq Security US Turns South
By: Louis E V NevaerWHEN corporate America turns to Latin America to "outsource" protection services by tapping former military men from Chile and Argentina, they're picking up murderers and torturers from the region's "dirty war" past.
MIAMI--If Jose Miguel Pizarro has his way, he will recruit 30,000
Chileans as mercenaries to protect American companies under
Pentagon contract to rebuild Iraq.
And undoubtedly, within those ranks will be former members of
death squads that tortured and murdered civilians when
dictatorships ruled in Latin America.
"There is no comparison with what they can earn in the active
military or working in civilian jobs, and what we offer," Jose
Miguel Pizarro, Chile's leading recruiter for international
security firms, says.
"This is an opportunity that few in Chile can afford to pass
up."
Pizarro's firm, Servicios Integrales, was contracted by
Blackwater USA to recruit the first batch of Chileans in November
2003.
By May 2004 he had placed 5 200 men who, after one week of
training in Santiago, head to North Carolina for orientation with
Blackwater, the private security firm that made headlines when four
of its employees where killed in Falluja, their bodies mutilated
and hung from a bridge.
After training, Blackwater flies the men to Kuwait City to await
their assignments in Iraq.
As democratic governments were voted into office throughout
Latin America in the 1990s, Latin militaries were downsized.
Thousands of military officers lost their jobs.
"This is a way of continuing our military careers," Carlos
Wamgnet, 30, explained in a phone interview from Kuwait while
awaiting his assignment in Iraq.
"In civilian life in Chile I was making $1 800 a month.
Here I can earn a year's pay in six weeks.
It's worth the risks."
At 30, Wamgnet is too young to have participated in any crime of
the Pinochet regime.
But not all the Chileans in Iraq are guiltless.
Newspapers in Chile have estimated that approximately 37
Chileans in Iraq are seasoned veterans of the Pinochet era.
Government officials in Santiago are alarmed that men who enjoy
amnesty in Chile -- provided they remain in "retirement" from their
past military activities -- are now in Iraq.
In an interview with the Santiago-based daily newspaper La
Tercera, Chilean Defense Michelle Bachelet stated that Chilean
"mercenaries for American firms doing business in Iraq" may be
subject to "arrest or detention in third countries," a reference to
recent arrests in Spain and Mexico of South Americans with
war-crimes pasts.
South American media report that Chileans have requested travel
from Chile to the United States and then directly to the Middle
East, to bypass Mexico and the European Union.
The thousands of Chileans in Iraq have been nicknamed "the
penguins" by American and South African soldiers for hire, a
reference both to Chile's proximity to the South Pole and the fact
that many Chilean mercenaries are of mixed race.
Not everyone in Chile is opposed to the presence in Iraq of
former Chilean army members.
"It is true that the majority [of Chilean recruits] see this as
an opportunity to earn money," La Tercera columnist Mauricio
Aguirre wrote."But it is also an opportunity for our soldiers to
prove themselves on the ground, and to put to use the skills for
which they trained in the Armed Forces over the years."
"Blackwater USA has sent recruiters to Chile, Peru, Argentina,
Colombia and Guatemala for one specific reason alone," said an
intelligence officer in Kuwait who requested anonymity.
"All these countries experienced dirty wars‚ and they have
military men well-trained in dealing with internal subversives.
They are well-versed in extracting confessions from
prisoners."
As the security situation in Iraq deteriorated in the spring of
2004, more "dedicated recruiting" began.
Though Chile is in vigorous debate about the role of military
servicemen becoming hired guns in Iraq, in Argentina there is
virtual silence.
Several Argentine mercenaries have made their way to the United
States to meet with American security firms before heading to
Iraq.
"No one wants to discuss what is becoming clear," says Mario
Podesta, 51, an independent Argentine journalist.
"I know of seven military officers responsible for disappearing
opponents of the dictatorship" who are now in Iraq.
During Argentina's "Dirty Wars," opponents of the military
regime were "disappeared" (abducted), tortured and then killed.
Podesta spoke to this reporter in early April.
He was in Jordan preparing to travel by road to Baghdad, along
with Mariana Verónica Cabrera, 28, an Argentine camera
woman.
"I want to find these men," he said of the Argentine Dirty War
criminals he had identified as being mercenaries in Iraq.
It was not to be.
Podesta and Cabrera were killed, along with their Iraqi driver,
in an automobile accident before reaching Baghdad.
PNS contributor Louis Nevaer (nevaer1@hotmail.com) is an author
and economist whose most recent book, "NAFTA'S Second Decade"
(South-Western Educational Publishing, 2004), examines the
political economy of international development and trade.
And undoubtedly, within those ranks will be former members of death
squads that tortured and murdered civilians when dictatorships
ruled in Latin America."There is no comparison with what they can
earn in the active military or working in civilian jobs, and what
we offer," Jose Miguel Pizarro, Chile's leading recruiter for
international security firms, says."This is an opportunity that few
in Chile can afford to pass up."Pizarro's firm, Servicios
Integrales, was contracted by Blackwater USA to recruit the first
batch of Chileans in November 2003.By May 2004 he had placed 5 200
men who, after one week of training in Santiago, head to North
Carolina for orientation with Blackwater, the private security firm
that made headlines when four of its employees where killed in
Falluja, their bodies mutilated and hung from a bridge.After
training, Blackwater flies the men to Kuwait City to await their
assignments in Iraq.As democratic governments were voted into
office throughout Latin America in the 1990s, Latin militaries were
downsized.Thousands of military officers lost their jobs."This is a
way of continuing our military careers," Carlos Wamgnet, 30,
explained in a phone interview from Kuwait while awaiting his
assignment in Iraq."In civilian life in Chile I was making $1 800 a
month.Here I can earn a year's pay in six weeks.It's worth the
risks."At 30, Wamgnet is too young to have participated in any
crime of the Pinochet regime.But not all the Chileans in Iraq are
guiltless.Newspapers in Chile have estimated that approximately 37
Chileans in Iraq are seasoned veterans of the Pinochet
era.Government officials in Santiago are alarmed that men who enjoy
amnesty in Chile -- provided they remain in "retirement" from their
past military activities -- are now in Iraq.In an interview with
the Santiago-based daily newspaper La Tercera, Chilean Defense
Michelle Bachelet stated that Chilean "mercenaries for American
firms doing business in Iraq" may be subject to "arrest or
detention in third countries," a reference to recent arrests in
Spain and Mexico of South Americans with war-crimes pasts.South
American media report that Chileans have requested travel from
Chile to the United States and then directly to the Middle East, to
bypass Mexico and the European Union.The thousands of Chileans in
Iraq have been nicknamed "the penguins" by American and South
African soldiers for hire, a reference both to Chile's proximity to
the South Pole and the fact that many Chilean mercenaries are of
mixed race.Not everyone in Chile is opposed to the presence in Iraq
of former Chilean army members."It is true that the majority [of
Chilean recruits] see this as an opportunity to earn money," La
Tercera columnist Mauricio Aguirre wrote."But it is also an
opportunity for our soldiers to prove themselves on the ground, and
to put to use the skills for which they trained in the Armed Forces
over the years.""Blackwater USA has sent recruiters to Chile, Peru,
Argentina, Colombia and Guatemala for one specific reason alone,"
said an intelligence officer in Kuwait who requested anonymity."All
these countries experienced dirty wars‚ and they have
military men well-trained in dealing with internal subversives.They
are well-versed in extracting confessions from prisoners."As the
security situation in Iraq deteriorated in the spring of 2004, more
"dedicated recruiting" began.Though Chile is in vigorous debate
about the role of military servicemen becoming hired guns in Iraq,
in Argentina there is virtual silence.Several Argentine mercenaries
have made their way to the United States to meet with American
security firms before heading to Iraq."No one wants to discuss what
is becoming clear," says Mario Podesta, 51, an independent
Argentine journalist."I know of seven military officers responsible
for disappearing opponents of the dictatorship" who are now in
Iraq.During Argentina's "Dirty Wars," opponents of the military
regime were "disappeared" (abducted), tortured and then
killed.Podesta spoke to this reporter in early April.He was in
Jordan preparing to travel by road to Baghdad, along with Mariana
Verónica Cabrera, 28, an Argentine camera woman."I want to
find these men," he said of the Argentine Dirty War criminals he
had identified as being mercenaries in Iraq.It was not to
be.Podesta and Cabrera were killed, along with their Iraqi driver,
in an automobile accident before reaching Baghdad.PNS contributor
Louis Nevaer (nevaer1@hotmail.com) is an author and economist whose
most recent book, "NAFTA'S Second Decade" (South-Western
Educational Publishing, 2004), examines the political economy of
international development and trade.