Jasmine Chheun từ Birondem, Goa, India

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11/22/2024

Dữ liệu người dùng, đánh giá và đề xuất cho sách

Jasmine Chheun Sách lại (10)

2020-01-16 17:31

36 Ký Ức Hà Nội Thư viện Sách hướng dẫn

Sách được viết bởi Bởi: Quốc Văn

The remarkable thing about this book is that the author, Steve Fainaru, is able to move the focus off of the larger issues of the military's use of so-called mercenaries in the gulf war and get you interested in the actual people who spent time under these circumstances trying to make a living there in these roles as well as the hazards that they faced. While it is easy to paint the picture with a broad brush that says, Blackwater is bad and should be vilified and all contractors are just as bad as Blackwater, Fainaru shows that it isn't such an easy thing to make sense of if you look past the surface. By focusing on the minor players in the conflict, The Crescent Group, he is able to highlight the fact that many of these companies were understaffed, under-supported, under-manned, under-prepared, etc. with very disastrous results. The rules of the party were laid out on a contract by contract basis and the entire substructure of the military contract business was allowed to run amok because there simply was no desire for anything resembling oversight by the military or the state departments. In fact, the exact opposite proved to be true, that the these entities were often given carte blanche in certain situations to behave with absolute impunity, and without any American dignitary, VIP or lawmaker ever wanting to accept a hint of responsibility. But Fainaru doesn't let you forget that mostly, these are Americans in these roles. And as that, we cannot see them solely as the bad guys and bogeymen. There are some whose actions probably proved unstable at best and criminal at worst, but given the circumstances it is easier to see them in context and understand what they were up against. When you see a group of mercs from Crescent get kidnapped, you cannot help but feel that these are still American men who although they put themselves in harm's way, probably did not deserve anything near the fate that they got. When you understand that many of these men went to Iraq as contractors because it was going to allow them to more easily meet their financial obligations, when you see that many of these men had children getting ready to go to college, or to get their families out of debt, or whatever the reasons for needed financial support back home, you get a much better picture of who these soldiers of fortune really are which is not that different from you or I. I recommend the book to anyone trying to understand what has happened in Iraq over the past years. Mostly I recommend it to anyone who is trying to understand why the war cost so much money. It becomes clear in these circumstances that not only was their absolutely a bit a financial discipline in the way that the Iraq war was run, but that the the outcomes of the money spent were almost wholly disastrous, corrupt, and fraudulent. In other words, we did not get what we paid for. In a funny way, this book reminded me A LOT of Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. The set up is the same, professional men of adventure coming together to test their mettle in the ultimate conflict. The money is right. Rival companies spring up to get these jobs done in the face of improbable odds. The teams are a mix of savvy vets and johnny-come-latelys. The teams are probably not outfitted properly in the event of a real disaster. There are unforeseen elements that occur again and again. Ultimately, tragedy rears its ugly head and only a few of the original cast limp home to tell the tale. Overconfidence reigns supreme until it doesn't and the results are terrible.

Người đọc Jasmine Chheun từ Birondem, Goa, India

Người dùng coi những cuốn sách này là thú vị nhất trong năm 2017-2018, ban biên tập của cổng thông tin "Thư viện Sách hướng dẫn" khuyến cáo rằng tất cả các độc giả sẽ làm quen với văn học này.