Blackwater:Rise of the most powerful mercenary army

[hoist-monkey]

http://www.amazon.ca/Blackwater-Rise-Worlds-Powerful-Mercenary/dp/1560259795/ref=sr_1_1/702-7001952-3300835?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173151152&sr=1-1
I found this book at a local bookstore, and had to get it for my Dad, who totally believes in conspiracy theory.
He sometimes reminds of the Mel Gibson character from "Conspiracy Theory", he believes in all that stuff.
So I thought this would be right up his alley about a "Mercenary Army" working for the Federal Government in the US and not answerable to anyone,
but the power elite.
Here are some links about the author: Jeremy Scahill
http://www.counterpunch.org/maass06022006.html
http://www.thenation.com/directory/bios/jeremy_scahill

I will probably read it before I give it to him, just wanted to know if anyone else has read it.

"Watch out for the black helicopters, and the men in black"

 

[3rd Herd]

Apologize to your dad, he just may be right. Their are several academic studies either just released or in the vetting stage which are looking at "contracting out" large scale operations. For some reason a 'private UN' mission to the Dufar/Sudan region is one. Quoting Chris Hendershot, "Privatizing Peace" here and the proposal from Blackwater security. Also, I believe someone from Dailhousie has been poking into this area as well at the upper academic level. Additionally, there is renewed interest by the economists in their versions on how to fight a war.

 

[Bobby Rico]

Welcome to the modern world, where wars are a business like any other.  If there's a profit to be made, someone will be there to capitalize on it.  I've read a few excerpts from that book actually and it's pretty eye-opening at the state of modern warfare, and how private industry is capitalizing on it.  Sure mercenaries have been around for centuries, but never at this level of organization.

Makes one thing twice at a quote from that movie Fight Club, where the character is describing how planets in the future will be named after corporations.  Well, I think it's realistic to imagine that wars in the future will be fought entirely by corporations.

(edit-spelling)

 

[3rd Herd]

Welcome to the modern world, where wars are a business like any other.  If there's a profit to be made, someone will be there to capitalize on it.  I've read a few excerpts from that book actually and it's pretty eye-opening at the state of modern warfare, and how private industry is capitalizing on it.  Sure mercenaries have been around for centuries, but never at this level of organization.

Makes one thing twice at a quote from that movie Fight Club, where the character is describing how planets in the future will be named after corporations.  Well, I think it's realistic to imagine that wars in the future will be fought entirely by corporations.

(edit-spelling)

Bobby,
as long as private soldiering has been around corporate world has been there too. Look into German industrial powerhouses such as Krupp, Thesman, Bayer on our own side is DuPont. Some would argue that a majority of conflicts have been to a certain extent 'engineered' by the corporate world. It is only fitting that now besides starting the conflict they now get to provide the troops. Economically speaking it is a win as they get to cut out all the bribes to politicians, do not have to deal with unions and get to administer their own foregin policy with little public scrutiny.

 

[Bobby Rico]

Very true, 3rd Herd.  I think one of the more upsetting aspects of the potential 'corporate fought wars' is the idea that one doesn't even have to win the war so long as they make a profit out of it.

Vietnam instantly comes to mind there...how many defense contractors made billions and billions from that war, even though the American's technically lost it?

 

[KevinB]

Most of you guys are completely out to lunch on contracting.

Its a niche market -- in the era of downsized militaries (Peace Dividend  : ) Private Companies have been able to provide short term services - CHEAPER than it is to provide soldiers.

Other than expat PSD personnel which make a nice salary, TCN Static security can be quite cheap.

 

[Bobby Rico]

I don't think anyone's disputing the fact that contracting is a niche market now, but it is a potentially very profitable one.  I'm looking at it mostly in the long term.

Afterall, I'm sure aircraft manufacturing was a 'niche' market back in the early days of aviation.  Look at it now though.

 

[KevinB]

Pre 911 BW was only making money of their training entity and the manufacture of ranges and peripherals.

  The issues whether it will be cheaper for gov'ts to increase the size of their armies -- or continue to contract.