When a Blackwater convoy opened fire in Bagdad’s Nisour Square one month ago it left 17 Iraqis dead and ignited debate over a previously overlooked dimension of the war. Private contractors are working in roughly equal numbers as American military forces in Iraq and in some cases doing work traditionally handled by soldiers.

 

Intensifying reaction in Iraq after the September 16 shooting was the seeming immunity of the private workers; of the 100,000 or more contractors working there, not one has been prosecuted for a violent crime.

 

Laura Dickinson, a law professor at the University of Connecticut has been researching and writing about the issue for her forthcoming book, “Outsourcing War and Peace.” In this conversation she says laws are on the books to address potential crimes committed by private contractors, they just need to be enforced. She also suggests greater attention and oversight are needed the meet the challenges of growing privatization in war zones.