Disaster capitalism

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Disaster Capitalism is the general term ascribed to an industry of private companies that are contracted with national governments (mainly that of the United States) to come in and do a variety of tasks following an event falling under the catergory of a "disaster". For example, the many faces of nation building can all fall under disaster capitalism, from rebuilding an electrical grid, water system, to basic developmental reconstruction. In such a sense, companies such as Halliburton and Bechtel are commonly cited as Disaster Capitalist firms.

Critics--particularly of US foreign policy--often point out that the United States uses its military to devestate its adversaries only to nation-build the very nation whose infrastructure it had just destroyed. In this way, new demand for services is created, allowing for government contracts to be handed out to private firms. An example often cited is the Marshall Plan to rebuild war-torn Germany following the Second World War. Another example includes the much-decried firebombing of Japan in World War II, which is often criticized as an unncecessary episode in the war by modern historians, former US Secretary of Defense Robert Macnamara included.

A more contemporary example includes the preemptory "shock and awe" bombing campaign the United States waged on Iraq prior to the start of the 2003 Iraq War. In this modern example, the privatization of war has been noted as a startling new phenomenon. Firms such as Blackwater provide mercenary services, while a variety of other traditional army tasks (from cooking to cleaning) have also been taken out of government hands and over to private companies.