Cultures of Resistance

Cultures of Resistance is happy to announce the launch, in partnership with our allies at Foreign Policy In Focus (FPIF), of a new short film "Coalition of the Billing," featuring Jeremy Scahill, best-selling author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army. Check out the FPIF page at: www.fpif.org.

When the Bush administration chose to invade Iraq, it assumed that the war would be short and decisive. Yet by early 2010 the war had already cost over $700 billion, much of which went to corporations that profit from the conflict. Jeremy Scahill, best-selling author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, has been a leading voice in opposing the war and in denouncing the radical privatization of the military. According to Scahill, at the time of this interview there were 630 companies on the U.S. government’s payroll in Iraq. More shocking are the 170 mercenary corporations operating in Iraq. Despite repeatedly committing criminal violations, these companies have been immune from prosecution and have repeatedly been rewarded no-bid contracts. Cultures of Resistance sat down for an exclusive interview with Scahill, in which he discusses the most recent stage of the military-industrial complex's evolution.

As Scahill notes, President Eisenhower, in his farewell remarks to Congress in 1961, warned of the danger in the growing “military industrial complex”. And yet, 50 years later, the United States spent more on its military and Department of Defense than the next 46 top spending nations combined. Cultures of Resistance created a short video documenting the increases in U.S. and global militarization. Click here to watch and find out more.

If you are looking for ways to support the fight to end global militarization, check out United for Peace and Justice and the Center for Arms Control, two top organizations working on this issue.