Secret Desert Force Set Up by Blackwater’s Founder

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: NYTimes

The Colombians had entered the United Arab Emirates posing as construction workers. In fact, they were soldiers for a secret American-led mercenary army being built by Erik Prince, the billionaire founder of Blackwater Worldwide, with $529 million from the oil-soaked sheikdom.

Mr. Prince, who resettled here last year after his security business faced mounting legal problems in the United States, was hired by the crown prince of Abu Dhabi to put together an 800-member battalion of foreign troops for the U.A.E., according to former employees on the project, American officials and corporate documents obtained by The New York Times.

The force is intended to conduct special operations missions inside and outside the country, defend oil pipelines and skyscrapers from terrorist attacks and put down internal revolts, the documents show. Such troops could be deployed if the Emirates faced unrest or were challenged by pro-democracy demonstrations in its crowded labor camps or democracy protests like those sweeping the Arab world this year.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/world/middleeast/15prince.html?_r=1&hp

[defendandprotect]

1. kr

[plumbob]

2. Why does a benevolent Gawd allow Erik Prince to take oxygen

from decent people?

Not a rhetorical question. I'd like an answer.

[bertman]

10. You'll just have to wait until Judgement Day to find out, plumbob.

Omnipotently,

Gawd


P.S. Don't piss me off between now and then, dood.

[plumbob]

16. Too late for that, I'm sure. Santy Claws and the Easter bunny are also

pissed at me, I'm sure.





Oh, well.


I'll just have to content myself thinking evil thoughts about Prince.

[sabrina 1]

3. Jeremy Scahill wrote about this two years ago.

His article was long and detailed and well worth reading again, in light of where we are right now. It was titled 'The Secret War in Pakistan' and I believe was published in Rolling Stone.

[PDJane]

4. Just so, but it was published in the Nation.

[sabrina 1]

5. Thank you, you are correct.

I wasn't certain, so I appreciate the correction.

It was a long article which I did intend to read again as there was a lot to absorb, and now definitely will do so.

[PDJane]

6. You're welcome...obviously, so did I!

[Badsam]

7. Didn't Ashcroft just take a position on the Board of the new Blackwater?

Wow, Where is Rumsfeld and Chenney?

[sabrina 1]

8. Good point, yes he did. I believe it was something to do with

'ethics'. I don't think those two words should be used together, Blackwater and Ethics. OR Ashcroft and Ethics either for that matter.

Thanks for the reminder about Ashcroft. These people just won't go away. I wonder what is really going on with this?

[dotymed]

22. Do you remember

"Air America" during the Viet Nam war? It was a CIA company that was infamous for its "black-ops" and drug running.

It has already become public knowledge that Blackwater/Xe or whatever, was started at the behest of the CIA. Which, in my world, means it is a CIA shell company.Erik Prince is just the public face given to it.

If, and I strongly believe it is, this is the case then "we" (CIA) are actually the mercenary army in the UAE. Besides being hugely illegal, obviously "our" government has not learned that they create more enemies ("terrorists"/freedom fighters) by repeatedly using "our" MIC to oppress people. Foreigners are not the only ones being repressed, but it is easier to report these stories, although they dare not bring up the CIA involvement. Instead they report these groups as independent mercenaries. They are not.

I am an American. I was raised by my Military father to love and respect what has turned out to be a snow-balling lie. I want it to cease, (along with my pony). America continues to be the bully in the international school yard. They have a few BFF's, England, Canada (very often) and whoever is receiving a lot of money and military aid from America.

Most other nations consider us a pariah and the way our docile, propagandized citizens are treated, very inhumane.

Will we ever wake-up? "They" are betting we don't...

[sabrina 1]

25. No, I don't remember it, but I'm not surprised as I've read that

the CIA has had 'reporters' planted in some of our major news organizations. I would not be surprised in the least of Blackwater was a CIA cover. They do seem to be untouchable, no matter what they do. And the fact that they moved to the UAE after finally going too far here, should have told us they were not going away.

Have you read Jeremy Scahill's article from two years ago in The Nation? He talks about all of this. The title of the article is 'The Secret War in Pakistan'. It is very long and very detailed, and I have it on my list to read again in light of all that is happening now. In that article he stated that Blackwater was operating 'behind the scenes', supporting the CIA and JSOC in that part of the world, maybe even operating the controversial Drone attack program.

I couldn't agree more with you. These people do not bring resolution to the problems we have, they create nothing but hatred by the constant bloodshed they are responsible for. You have to wonder, and I ask this all the time, are they stupid, or is that the goal, to keep the hatred going so the wars never end?

[dotymed]

32. Yes, Jeremy Scahill is one of the few, real investigative

reporters left. I am surprised that he has not "accidentally" been killed on the battlefield (at least). I would not be surprised if there is a "Bounty" on his head. It is unreal to speak of "our" government this way, but sadly true.

Jeremy, Naomi Klein and a few others keep trying to inform us, even at great personal risk. They are my heroes in a world where violence reigns and people assimilate or die.

If you watch "democracynow.org", with Amy Goodman and Juan ? (sorry), you should realize that sweet, informative Amy has seen a lot during her field reporting days. She is VERY active in citizen centered movements across the globe. She was "arrested" many times and lost a brother while they were reporting/demonstrating in East Timor. She is so well informed and a vital person in human rights all over the globe. She is very impressive. Jeremy Scahill appears often on her show. I think that is where he got his start.

I think I know how many (yuck) neo-cons feel about Palin (maybe not..lol) because I would stand beside Naomi Klein anywhere, (I first saw her on Amy Goodman's show). However, her brains and beauty are quite a combination.

[sabrina 1]

33. I agree with everything you said. And I worry too about

Jeremy Scahill. Naomi Klein also. And Amy Goodman. We need so many more of these people, there just aren't enough.

I did not know about Amy's brother. That is very sad ~

[Odin2005]

27. The CIA has become like the Ancient Rome's Praetorian Guard.

The REAL king-maker behind the thrown room. There was a anarchic period in the 3rd Century AD where they were creating emperors, and then killing them off a couple years later because The Guards didn't get enough kickbacks. It didn't stop until Diocletian came in and imposed a police state and liquidated The Praetorian Guard.

[MilesColtrane]

9. The emirs of the seven emirates will pay handsomely for loyalty.

They were obviously watching the events in Egypt closely, and don't want to have to rely on the military if there's a popular uprising.

There'll be no Arab Spring in the UAE.

[Blue_Tires]

14. Not only that, but the emirs are TRULY playing with 'Monopoly money'

They don't know the meaning of the word "expensive"

[bertman]

11. My hunch is the Wall Street multimillionaires and billionaires will soon

(if not already) be hiring their own private Xe-type "security armies" to protect them from the starving masses.

REC.

[glinda]

12. Exactly. The wealthiest will move there to seek protection.

[Lint Head]

13. This is corporate fascism in your face!

Blackwater Helicopter in Action

Imagine this over your home. Who will they kill next? When will Blackwater privatize torture?
Are you willing to let them. Speak out now. Help end corporate 'false private citizenship' rights!

[Blue_Tires]

15. At some point in time, the Pentagon has to answer for creating this monster

Prince couldn't be doing any of this shit without the DOD's blessing and clout...

[octothorpe]

19. I was wondering when the pentagon is going to be battling against these guys.

[Solly Mack]

17. K&R

[Ian David]

18. His is building a fighting force of extraordinary magnitude! n/t

[leveymg]

20. "Erik Prince: American Bin Laden." Read the report:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/12/04/810764/-Erik-Prince:-American-Bin-LadenCIA-Asset,-MoneyGunmen

Erik Prince is the American Osama Bin Laden: a CIA asset with a lot of money and gunmen working for him.

The parallels extend further than recent reports that Prince was a paid CIA agent. See, http://www.theatlanticwire.com/...

The top people at Blackwater were CIA managers who ran a number of double-agents within al-Qaeda as Agency assets until 9/11. Before he headed a Blackwater subsidiary, Cofer Black was CIA Chief of Station in Khartoum in the mid-1990s at the time that bin Laden, Ali Mohamed, KSM and many other major terrorist figures were running CIA-assisted paramilitary operations against the Serbs and Russians from bases in Sudan. Al-Qaeda continued to operate against the Russians until 9/11, and at least thirteen of the 19 hijackers were originally recruited and trained to fight in Bosnia and Chechnya.(1) Erik Prince also got his start as a Special Forces Operator in Bosnia.

But, that's just the beginning of the strange network that binds together a group of CIA alumni, Blackwater, and al-Qaeda. MORE, below . . .

[Mr. Jefferson]

21. Secret...?

[leveymg]

23. Just to the vast majority of the American people.

It's a tree falls in the forest sort of thing . . . welcome to DU!

[Overseas]

24. I was hoping we would begin to roll back military privatization.

War profiteering and reckless contractors have greatly weakened our national security.

I was hoping Democrats could be bipartisan with what Republicans USED TO believe in-- stronger national defense. They allowed contractors to skim half our tax dollars off the top and conduct business in irresponsible ways that created more enemies for our country over the long term.

But it is tough to really examine how many billions we wasted on military privatization.

One aspect that always bugged me about military privatization was that when we did most military services in house, our tax dollars would be doing double-duty because soldiers would learn job skills more readily transferable to civilian life-- fixing meals for hundreds of troops, doing the electrical wiring on base, repairing equipment, etc. And the pressure to perform well was far greater when a private was trying to please an officer rather than when a giant company cut corners to increase its private profits while serving moldy food to our troops or doing shoddy wiring that led to electrocution in the showers on base.

But privatization allowed our leaders to avoid another draft-- thus not needing the consent of the American people to expanding our military operations year after year.

[Odin2005]

26. Private armies in service to the elites is what killed the Roman Republic.

If Obama is Marius than who will be our Sulla?

[Randy_P]

28. This is news I could of done without

:puke:

[Distant Observer]

29. The whole of NATO is being used as tools in the fued between the OIL POTENTATES and Gaddafi

and to distract from their own internal murderous repression.

The private forces disappearing and silencing opposition in Arabia is just a small corner of the board game.

[loudsue]

30. The headline should've said "American company fighting AGAINST Democracy in the Middle East"

They need to tack on that it's a REPUBLICAN supported American company fighting AGAINST pro-democracy forces in the middle east.

Because this is the first obvious and written support that the agenda IS TO STOP DEMOCRACY, which DUers already knew.

[Corruption Winz]

31. Yeah, this guy is a real winner.

I honestly think he doesn't care who he works for, he just wants the money. You can't say that about too many people and have it known as a fact. He really just doesn't give a damn.

Most people have a preference, he really doesn't.