America's New Mercenaries

As American commanders meet this week for the Afghanistan review, Obama is hiring military contractors at a rate that would make Bush blush.

Politics in Iraq Casts Doubt on a U.S. Presence After 2011 - NYTimes.com

Politics in Iraq Casts Doubt on a U.S. Presence After 2011 - NYTimes.com

BAGHDAD — The protracted political turmoil that saw the resurgence of a fiercely anti-American political bloc here is casting new doubt on establishing any enduring American military role in Iraq after the last of nearly 50,000 troops are scheduled to withdraw in the next 12 months, military and administration officials say.