(Thumbnail image: Pakistanic) 

A U.S. federal judge has dismissed all charges against five Blackwater private security guards accused of killing 17 unarmed Iraqi civilians in 2007.

And, while this particular case might be over, the fallout definitely  isn’t.

First, on Al Jazeera English, Jeremy Scahill says that despite controversy and scandal, contractors like Blackwater, now re-branded as Xe, aren’t going to disappear any time soon.

“The dirty public secret in Washington is that these private sector forces are necessary to the Obama administration’s policies in both Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Among the reasons the judge cited for dismissing the case against Blackwater was that statements from the contractors had been coerced.

Fox News’ Sean Hannity draws a link between the prosecutorial misconduct cited in the case and the upcoming trial in New York of alleged 9/11 plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

“The fact of the matter is, there’s been many cases over the years dismissed when there’s been a showing of egregious showing on the part of prosecutors or law enforcement, and they’re going to claim torture and that’s egregious.”

An editorial in the Arab News says that letting the Blackwater contractors get away on a technicality,

“…has nothing to do with the vagaries in the US legal system but is rather a question of common justice and indeed, common sense.”

An editorial in the Dubai-based Khaleej Times considers the diplomatic consequences of dismissing the case.

“This judgment is likely to sow much hostility between Iraq and the United States, and inevitably lead to more resentment against Washington’s policies in the region.”

In fact, Blackwater is no longer permitted to operate in Iraq at all.

But, do you think that the U.S. still relies too much on private contractors like Blackwater?  Do you think the U.S. could do what it needs to without using them?

Writer: Paula Hunt