That’s a start. Although I wonder how much we had to pay Crazy Karzai for this two month extension? lol Lately I have been reading all the latest articles about this circus, and it is just dumb. It is obvious that Karzai is playing games. I mean this guy is talking with the Taliban, getting money from Iran, and at the same time jerking us around about PSCs in Afghanistan. He is using the ban on PSCs as a means of extortion and it is just dumb. It’s almost as if some agent was able to penetrate his brain and plant this idea, ‘Inception‘ style.
Because lets be real on this one. Karzai’s life was dependent upon private security during many of the years of his presidency. His family operated private security companies who made millions of dollars from contracts over the years. And all of these recent incidents involving kidnapping, attacks on facilities, and attacks on convoys all highlight how important security is. If there are not enough troops to do the job, then of course private security is the next step, and yet Karzai wants to ban them?
Also, if Karzai has an issue with companies, then instead of throwing the baby out with bath water, he could instead ‘fairly’ issue licenses (which they do, yet does not regulate or manage well ) and require them to be bonded. A bond could make it extremely expensive for companies that screw up, and give the offices an incentive to watch the industry. That would be one way for him to control and regulate companies.
The alternative is that he kicks out all of these companies, to include expat companies, and all of the programs they were tasked with securing will falter. Billions of dollars in aid designed to rebuild and infuse money into the local economies, will now be shut off because these programs do not have security. Not to mention investors will now have second thoughts about doing anything in Afghanistan, all because they are not allowed to use private security.
The logical way to reduce the numbers of contractors is through success in the war. As security increases, attacks and threats decrease, and the requirement for security will decrease. Actually this would be a great metric on how the war is going, and if security contractor use naturally decreases because of that classic market force called ‘a lack of demand’, then this would be an excellent indicator that things are getting better.
It is a lot like the timeline issue that I have talked about in the past. The enemy loves timelines, because it is a date for victory. Troops or contractors should leave not based on timelines but based on progress and success. –Matt
Press Release From The Office Of The President (Afghanistan)
October 27, 2010
Arg, Kabul – For a rapid implementation of Presidential Decree 62 on the dissolution of private security companies, President Hamid Karzai has ordered the establishment of a committee led by the Minister of Interior and participated by representatives from NATO-ISAF and major international donors.
The Committee will develop plans for the disbandment of the PCSs that provide security for development projects and report on progress to the President.
The phasing out of illegal PCSs and road convoy security companies continues on a priority basis as laid out in the Decree.
Recognizing the importance of maintaining the continuous delivery of critical development projects and programs funded by the international community, the Committee will prepare a timetable for the disbandment of the PCSs that secure development projects and submit it to the President on November 15th, 2010.