Blackwater (Xe) Scours War Torn Africa For New Hires
The Cunning Realist sent over this creepy link to yet another Blackwater — sorry Xe — exploit. Seems the company has yet to absorb that it’ll take more than a new name and new fall guy to improve its reputation.
Today, the North Carolina-based private security enterprise is allegedly attempting to hire ex-fighters from the Liberian civil war to fulfill its U.S private security contracts. Who will it be tomorrow? Like a precious natural resource, there are enough scarecrows of war eager to escape the prison of poverty and the bloody politics of the battle-scarred African continent to fuel the mercenary machine. Leave it to some American entrepreneurs to exploit the situation.
Not that any of this should come as a surprise. Five years ago, Blackwater’s President Gary Jackson boasted to The Guardian about the company’s recruitment of ex-Chilean commandos who had supposedly trained and served under the military dicatorship of Augusto Pinochet. “We scour the ends of the earth to find professionals — the Chilean commandos are very, very professional and they fit within the Blackwater system.” Glad it’s worked out for ya.
Third world nationals fighting for private mercenary outfits in American wars of empire across the hell hole belt (Africa through Asia)? That’s the fine makings of a novel, but a hideous vision of the future.
http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/
“…the economic deprivation necessary for a vibrant bazaar of violence — this is a marketplace that forms when, due to a need to purchase food and shelter, there is an endless pool of people willing to kill for a couple hundred bucks.”
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/886a1b6e-0ab7-11de-95ed-0000779fd2ac.html
“The alarming breakdown of society will lead to new forms of apartheid and emergency states. He highlights the growing militarisation of Italy, where the government has sent the army into Naples to deal with the mafia. He claims that São Paulo in Brazil is mutating into a real-life version of the film Blade Runner (1982). The city now has 70 heliports with the rich travelling on another level to the poor.”
http://saoirsi.wordpress.com/2008/09/19/canned-food-and-shotguns/
Gremlin #1: [on telephone in stock exchange] “BUY! BUY! BUY!”
Gremlin #2: [also on telephone] “SELL! SELL! SELL!”
Brain Gremlin: “Well, it’s rather brutal here. Right now we are advising all our clients to put everything they’ve got into canned food and shotguns.”
“Military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet” should read “heroic government led by Augusto Pinochet that saved Chile from Allende’s socialism.” Viva Pinochet!
Blackwater/Xe is starting to sound like an international cabal that can only be taken down by 007 and a sassy model with an accent. My friend that works private security for them is becoming more and more apolitical and less and less ideological. I don’t know where this is all leading, but it is going to get interesting.
Don’t tell my neighbors, but I have plenty of canned goods and shotguns.
Is Chris Johnson serious?
Let’s stipulate that the whole Iraq war is/was a mistake. Let’s also stipulate that we as a country pledged to pour some concrete roadways etc. in recompense for blowing their country up. Whom do you really want guarding this. Your fellow countrymen, or mutilating monster ex-child soldiers from the back of beyond?
Let’s remember that we are a country founded by men who issued letters of marque and reprisal. Mercenaries have their place. But where the policy is wrong it really doesn’t matter too much who you send, does it?
What guarantees that these West African thugs will be used only on the fringes of the US empire and not in the heartland? Remember that Xe (Blackwater) gunmen were sent to New Orleans in the Katrina aftermath to confiscate the weapons of ordinary citizens.
Private Security confiscating firearms in New Orleans? It was the government in the form of Law enforcement who disarmed the citizens.
Who do you think contracts for the services of Blackwater (Xe) if not the government? In theory they may be private security; in action, they are as much an arm of government as the so-called private Federal Reserve. The breakdown of New Orleans law enforcement, including mass desertion of local police in the wake of Katrina, led to the employment of Blackwater mercenaries. Similar disasters or emergencies could lead to the same thing in the future with the added advantage to government that Xe’s “private” status gets around what little is left of the Posse Comitatus Act.
I am unable to substantiate Blackwater or any other private firm confiscating civilian firearms. In fact it was the government who confiscated firearms. Blackwater and ISI personnel were contracted by citizens and businesses to protect their homes, neighborhoods and property. There is nothing new in this. Remember the Pinkertons? People were made less safe in New Orleans by the Government and more safe by the “Mercenaries.”
The Government has an incentive to hire mercenaries over seas. In country they don’t need to. They can deploy the national guard or deputize people. If the government were to deputize Blackwater personnel, they would have to operate under the same orders and command authority as the regular sworn police or troops, and with the same degree of culpability for any misdeeds.
BTW, If Blackwater needs to recruit Liberians, I’m surprised they don’t do it in Trenton New Jersey. Half the security guards in the area are Liberians.
“Remember the Pinkertons?” Indeed. They were Mr. Lincoln’s spooks and goon squad during the war against the south. Did they operate with “the same degree of culpability for any misdeeds” as the Union army did? What if they did? The Union army was never held culpable for any of its misdeeds.
Of course, the imperial regime would prefer not to use mercenaries in the heartland of the empire, but would not hesitate to do so should the need arise. What law would prevent them from doing so? And which law enforcement or military personnel were held culpable for the Waco massacre? It’s hardly comforting to note that the same standards would apply to Xe.
There is also the little matter of the extent to which the US armed forces themselves are becoming populated by foreign mercenaries serving for pay and citizenship. This is an entirely natural development of empire. In Iraq, some of Saddam’s old palaces have been used for mass swearing in ceremonies of foreign soldiers becoming US citizens.
Kirt, OK, I see you’re taking the position that in extreme circumstances mercenaries could be abused by the Federal Government to our detriment. Fair enough, but implicit in your concern is the idea that the Federal Government is about to turn rogue on the people in ways not done since the Civil War. If that is the case the existence of mercenaries would be the least of our worries. If the Government turns on us, they won’t need mercenaries.
Re the Pinkertons, The Sons of the Confederacy should bestow some sort of award in Allen Pinkerton for the truly awful intelligence estimates he gave Lincoln. Pinketon’s “Spies” consistently over-estimated Confederate troop levels and positions. I’m surprised there Isn’t a cottage industry in “Allan Pinkerton, Confederate Double Agent.” books. And then of course these is the marvelous job they did guarding the President!
I can’t help but agree about the citizenship for service angle. Max Boot wants to use this to create a whole legion of imperial storm troops, presumably to fight Iran.
Soldiers are professionals due to training and experience, whether Liberian or American or whatever.
A grown up individual has the right to decide what to do in his/her life, meaning that according to their qualifications it is not at out of line for an ex-combatant to seek employment with Blackwater/XE. Further, the applicants that I personally know fit the specific job description well. I have lived with my family in Liberia for ten years.
And last, not least: instead of having the ex-fighters threaten the streets of Monrovia and engage themselves criminally out of lack of opportunity and lack of means to survive – isn’t a job with a reputable international security company a better alternative for their and our lives?
If Blackwater/XE were active illegally, then don’t you think the interest of the US and other countries would have long stopped them ?
We need teachers, doctors, street cleaners, soldiers, politicians, businesspeople, workers…nothing wrong with any of them, better concentrate on more fruitful things than changing the world philosophically…..look at practical things: CLIMATE CHANGE?
Kai Kubel: First of all, what do you mean when you say a soldier is professional? Does that mean that they value human life because they get paid to kill people? I’ve known mercs in Haiti who have shot people for fun, and the UN does nothing about it. In many of the countries where these “contracters” work, there is no acountability and they do whatever they want. And these are soldiers from “civilized” industrial countries, who are supposedly the most honarable of their profession.
And these Liberians are not “grown-up individuals.” You are talking about “soldiers” who were recruited to kill and commit other acts of brutality when they were children; not that recruiting “grown-up” Liberians who never saw combat as children is ethical either. Do you think that these Liberians -most of whom probably began fighting when they were children- might have serious psychological problems because of this? Grown men come back from combat with PTSS. What do you imagine happens to a child that has spent his formative years indoctrinated in a culture of killing and lack of respect for human life and then placed back in society?
And what “choice” do these Liberians have? Fight or starve? You contradict yourself saying they are “grown up individuals” who have a right to decide in his/her life ;” yet you turn-around and say that it’s better “instead of them engaging in criminal activity out of lack of oportunity/ means to survive..” to have them sign-up with a “reputable” – it should be infamous- security company who exploits them because they have no other options.
Why isn’t BlackWater recruiting soldiers from industrialized countries? Is there a shortage of ex-soldiers from industrialized countries who don’t want to be highly paid? It’s probably because once these Liberians commit a war crime, they will cut them loose, because they ar expendable “third world trash” who have no value whatsoever to a weasels like Erick Prince, Al Clark and others of their ilk.
And the solution should be improving conditions in their home countries, not exporting their violent-sociopathic behaviour for other countries to “enjoy.” You’re saying it’s better for them to abuse and kill Iraqis/ other peoples than Liberians. What did they do to deserve that? By your reasoning I guess other countries should export their problems of social violence to your city and see how you like it. Then again, you might enjoy that since it might mean more business for these companies that you are either work for or support.
It’s a sad thing that the people at the top have foot soldiers who really believe this stupidity, because I assure you they don’t. They know what they’re doing is wrong, but their sense of entitlement only allows them to care about profits, so the end justifies the means.
I AM AN AFRICAN-(AMERICAN) IN THE USA & THIS “BLACKWATER” THING IS ONLY THE TIP OF A VERY LONG “SWORD”. WHITES HAVE BEEN ROBBING AFRICA SINCE THE GREEKS & ROMANS FIRST CAME TO “EGYPT”.SO WHY THE SURPRISED LOOK NOW!!.THEY GOT OTHER PLANS TO TAKE OVER THE WHOLE CONTINENT IF YOU PEOPLE DONT RUN THEM OUT OF AFRICA!! I GOT PROOF & WILL GLADLY email IT TO ANY AFRICAN WHO WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH!! ( email= billy.taylor93@yahoo.com ) OR ( jones.billy261@gmail.com )
John:
The perspective you offer is pretty correct, though superficial, when it comes to the subject of any international security company recruiting men and women of age.
Your assumption that I work for or support Blackwater is wrong: I am an German Ex-Air Force/US Airline Pilot who works in a non-military field with his family in Africa.
One thing that seems obvious is that you have not been in the Military – or how could you say that a soldier does not value human life? You want to publish your opinion that soldiers are unscrupulous MURDERERS? That will not make you a lot of friends among the many Soldier – men and women – serving proudly their positions, risking their lives to fulfill their assignments – and getting paid and cared for in exchange. What is your profession? A proud and honorable sales clerk?
In every part of society you have sick beings, even one of YOUR neighbors could be one, look at the numerous shootings of innocent people inside the US, Germany… so do not generalize when some “mercs” turn “killers” – it can happen to the French Foreign Legion, an elite troop of this world, as just last week in Tchad, it happened not only in Mi Lai, Haiti, or Liberia….
Trauma inflicting occurrences are not only war related: you remember your parent’s divorce? the car accident you observed? the horror show in super dolby? “Civilized” societies are rather fragile to these influences due to a rather unhealthy (not only psychologically) lifestyle. In my 25+ years in often rural African societies (better:tribes) the approach to daily life and it’s potentially traumatic influence is much more solid, though not hard. Let’s call it robust.
You, riding the horse of “respecting human life” and “culture of killing”, come from which country?
If you say your are an US citizen, possibly proud, then this public dialog seems futile to me, Or: let’s talk about the Pope advising against condoms. People smoking. The Gods – but why ponder upon the realities of “mercs” who in fact have not learned much but to follow orders and hold an AK the right way – and who send the money they make by following their US approved assignments – and send home the money they make risking their lives, to starving families in their home? No, john, I am NOT exaggerating. You are the one who exaggerates ETHICS, you confuse realities and the wishful idea of paradise.
Criticize Governments, Societies, Churches – not a company or private individuals. How was your Wendy’s in front of CNN today? Double ketchup and mayo? This world is sooo terrible.
Join the Peace Corps and do something good instead of talking from your comfortable chair. Become a “merc”.
Kai Kubel, German, 50,
Monrovia, Liberia
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