Event

Shadow Company

Includes Reception

Guest Speaker: Marty Haas - Chair, History Department at Adelphi University

As brutally evidenced by the recent massacre of Iraqi civilians by Blackwater security forces, the United States government is fighting its first privatized war. In a word, the United States is hiring mercenaries to fight in Iraq. Nick Bicanic and Jason Bourques film tells this compelling story, energized by smart editing and vivid explanatory visuals, all directed toward furthering an understanding of the nature of contemporary mercenary warfare, the Bush administrations reasons to privatize, and the lives of the men who fight. Bicanic weaves together interviews with a wide range of mercenaries from foot soldiers to CEOs of private military firms, historians and experts in the field. All agree that there are no rules of engagement for hired soldiers. After 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq became the wild west with the mercenaries living in virtual fortresses separated from the civilian population. While Bicanic is even handed, speaking with soldiers of fortune who understand the moral injustices in Iraq, he confronts the consequences of tens of thousands of Stepford troops serving in Iraq. Marty Haas (Canada, 2006, 86 min., color)