CorpWatch – 2004-03-28 09:21:29
http://www.warprofiteers.com
OAKLAND (March 19, 2004) — Exactly one year after the United States launched the dawn invasion of Iraq, war profiteering by multinational companies is at an all-time high with military contractors dramatically boosting revenues by 19% over 2002.
Today Corpwatch, an Oakland, California, based non-profit is launching a brand new version of the popular War Profiteers website to track these military contractors on a regular basis.
The website, which can be found at warprofiteers, is the one-stop shop for communities, citizens, taxpayers, policy makers, media, students and activists to learn about the new merchants of global conflict.
“Profiting from killing is wrong. What makes it even more outrageous is that taxpayers have to foot the bill. We intend to investigate these abuses and inform the public about what these companies are doing.
“This new website will be the premier place for the pubic to find out what is happening behind the scenes of the so-called war on terrorism,” said Pratap Chatterjee, program director at Corpwatch.
Private Industries Comprised Ten Percent of the Iraq Invasion Force
Today one in ten personnel in the 2003 invasion of Iraq come from private industry, a dramatic ten-fold increase over the previous Gulf War in 1991.
Not only were most of these employees drawn from the biggest military contractors in the United States: the company that won the most new work was the company that the Vice-President Dick Cheney headed up before he took office: Halliburton Corporation and its subsidiaries (e.g., Kellogg, Brown, and Root) have won over $8 billion in contracts.
Their military revenue in 2003 of $3.9 billion was a staggering 700% higher than the previous year!
The new website will feature weekly updates and regular investigative features from our new military researcher, Adam Clay Thompson, based in Washington DC.
A special “Focus on Iraq” section will provide the latest news about companies profiting from the continued occupation of that country, continuing Corpwatch’s award winning coverage of companies like Halliburton and Bechtel.
Profiteers To Be Profiled, Analyzed and Monitored
In addition, it will have selected profiles of major war profiteers and explanations of the main sectors: weapons making, security, intelligence, military logistics, reconstruction, policy & planning, multilateral and bilateral finance and the mineral extraction industry.
The website will also offer updated fact sheets, action items and a calendar of events.
The War Profiteers web site was originally created to distribute the popular War Profiteer deck of cards, which has sold over 10,000 sets to date. This deck will is available for a donation to the Ruckus Society, one of the original creators of this popular game.
The Corpwatch Mission: CorpWatch counters corporate-led globalization through education, network-building and activism. We work to foster democratic control over corporations by building a diverse movement for human rights and dignity, labor rights and environmental justice.
CorpWatch 1611 Telegraph Avenue., #702 Oakland, CA 94612 USA Tel: + 1 510-271-8080
CONTACT: Pratap Chatterjee Tel: + 1 510 759 8970 (mobile phone)
Email:
