Blackwater

[[image:blackwater.png|thumb|right||165px|Be scared, be werry scared!]]
{{war}}
{{cquote|He cloaks himself in the American flag when he's seeking a U.S. contract, but he is the hood ornament of the new era of the military industrial complex and a set of mercenaries who work for countries, oligarchs and random billionaires. The Pentagon and national security establishment view Erik as a pariah.|||Sean McFate, author of ''The Modern Mercenary''<ref name=fisher>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/world/wp/2018/05/04/feature/a-warrior-goes-to-china-did-erik-prince-cross-a-line/ Behind Erik Prince's China venture: The Blackwater founder has cut a lucrative security-training deal with Chinese insiders. But is it against U.S. interests?] by Marc Fisher, Ian Shapira & Emily Rauhala (May 4, 2018) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>}}
'''Blackwater''' (temporarily known as '''Xe''',<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/13/AR2009021303149_pf.html Blackwater Sheds Name, Shifts Focus] ''The Washington Post'' 14 February 2009</ref> then briefly known as '''Academi'''<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16149971 Former Blackwater firm renamed again] ''BBC News'' 12 December 2011</ref> before finally settling on the name '''Constellis''')<ref>[https://www.constellis.com/who-we-are/history Constellis - History]''</ref> is a mercenary army/private security firm that won huge no-bid contracts from the [[George W. Bush|Bush]] administration to work as [[mercenary|mercenaries]] in the [[Iraq War]] (at much higher pay than the [[United States Armed Forces]]), and as a private [[police]] force in post-[[Hurricane Katrina|Katrina]] New Orleans. '''Erik Prince''' {{lived|1969}}, the brother of [[Betsy DeVos]] and a wealthy supporter of [[fundamentalist Christian]] [[conservative]] causes like [[Focus on the Family]], is a co-owner of Blackwater, a fact that had absolutely no bearing on the company's success at "winning" lucrative contracts during the tenure of [[George W. Bush]], who by sheer coincidence also professed to be a [[Christian]] in addition to being the Decider for the free world. Their corporate logo looks like something rejected by a high school football team.

==Murder and mayhem==
The [[Iraq]]i government condemned Blackwater for the September 2007 {{wpl|Nisour Square massacre}} in which Blackwater forces killed 17 Iraqi civilians including 9-year old Ali Kinani. Blackwater claims that their forces were fired upon; the Iraqi government denies this. Four people were convicted.<ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/oct/22/us-jury-convicts-blackwater-security-guards-iraq US jury convicts Blackwater guards in 2007 killing of Iraqi civilians] ''The Guardian'' 23 October 2014</ref>

The whole incident led to an increase in attention to the use of "private security firms" for essential military functions in Iraq and other trouble spots. While the term "mercenary" is not used by the government, many people have argued that these firms act as soldiers for hire. In 2007, there were more "private contractors" in Iraq than regular troops (roughly 180,000 vs. 160,000).<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/19/AR2007091901836.html 180,000 Private Contractors Flood Iraq] by Richard Lardner (September 19, 2007; 6:26 PM) ''AP'' via ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Moreover, some of these contractors have begun conducting intelligence work for the US as well. (Most of these private security operatives are Iraqi citizens.)

==Apologetics==
One defense that has been put forward for Blackwater is that it is often more efficient than US regular forces. For instance, during the emergency after Hurricane Katrina, Blackwater was on the ground before the National Guard or FEMA. At the same time, there have been allegations that Blackwater used excessive force in policing the area, even shooting unarmed civilians.

==Implications==
This use of mercenaries has several implications for the strength of the [[United States]]. No major power has had to rely on mercenaries in quite this fashion in roughly 200 years.{{efn|Though Russia seems to be relying heavily on mercenaries in the [[Syrian Civil War]].<ref>[http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43167697 Syria war: Who are Russia's shadowy Wagner mercenaries?] ''BBC News'' 23 February 2018</ref>}} Moreover, these mercenaries are not subject to the same US laws as the regular forces,<ref>[http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/31/i-was-a-mercenary-trust-me-erik-princes-plan-is-garbage-215563 I Was a Mercenary. Trust Me: Erik Prince’s Plan Is Garbage.] ''Politico'' 31 August 2017</ref> which has led many to question how much control the US has over them. Some of the mercenary companies are even foreign-owned and -run<ref>[https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/08/iraq-afghanistan-contractor-pentagon-obama/495731/ America's Addiction to Mercenaries] ''The Atlantic'' 12 August 2016</ref> (though Blackwater is itself a [[North Carolina]] company), which means that the US is relying on foreigners to bolster its ability to conduct foreign relations. To many, the US has granted some bit of its sovereignty away to foreign citizens. (However, you do not hear the same kind of protests from [[conservative]]s that you often hear about the [[United Nations]].)  

==The true "coalition of the billing"==
Also troubling from the perspective of other nations, many of the "private contractors" have come from nations that refused to participate in the "Coalition of the Willing." For instance, while the [[Chile]]an government specifically refused to send troops to help the US in the invasion, there are a large number of Chileans working for these "private contractors". This works to undermine the neutrality of sovereign states, as they can be accused of secretly abetting an aggressor, if their people join in the fighting.

==Blackwater pulls out==
As of 22 July 2008, Blackwater was planning to get out of the mercenary business.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080803040959/http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/21/africa/blackwater.php Blackwater leaving security business] ''The New York Times (International Edition)'' 21 July 2008 (archived from the original on 3 August 2008)</ref> What they'll do with all that military style infrastructure back home is anyone's guess.

===And is kicked out===
"Iraq will not renew the licence of US security firm Blackwater…" 29 January, 2009. <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7857844.stm Iraq ends licence for Blackwater] ''BBC News'' 29 January 2009</ref>

===Well, not quite===
Blackwater has a presence on [[Pakistan]]'s Northwest frontier.<ref>[https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/blackwater-pakistan-gates-confirms/ Robert Gates Confirms What U.S. Government Has Denied for Months: Blackwater Is in Pakistan] by Jeremy Scahill (January 22, 2010) ''The Nation''.</ref>

===And now…===
"Federal prosecutors are considering filing weapons charges against former top officials of the Blackwater Worldwide private security company over allegations they illegally stockpiled automatic rifles at the company's [[North Carolina]] headquarters, …"{{efn|"Federal law prohibits private parties from buying fully automatic weapons registered after 1986, but does let law enforcement agencies have them."<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-03-23-blackwater-probe_N.htm Charges possible against ex-Blackwater officials: Federal prosecutors are considering filing weapons charges against former top officials of the Blackwater security company on allegations that they illegally stockpiled automatic rifles at its headquarters.] (March 22, 2010, 10:35 PM PDT) ''The Associated Press'' via ''NBC News''.</ref>}}

==Murder most foul==
[[File:Erik Prince.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Crusader Erik Prince]]
On August 3, 2009, a former Blackwater employee and an ex-Marine testified under oath that Erik Prince views himself as a latter-day [[crusader]] on an unrealistic mission to eliminate [[Islam]] from the world. They also testified that, [[Ten Commandments#Sixth Commandment:_Homicide|Sixth Commandment]] notwithstanding, Prince has had some annoying [[whistleblower]]s assassinated.<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/04/blackwater-founder-erik-p_n_251181.html</ref>

==Overt racism==
{{main|Racism}}
During a 2024 episode of Prince's podcast "Off Lesh with Erik Prince", he argued for recolonizing [[Africa]] all over again:
{{cquote|If so many of these countries around the world are incapable of governing themselves, it’s time for us to just put the [[Imperialism|imperial]] hat back on, to say, we're going to govern those countries&nbsp;… 'cause enough is enough, we're done being invaded.&nbsp;… You can say that about pretty much all of Africa, they’re incapable of governing themselves.|||Erik Prince<ref>[https://theintercept.com/2024/02/10/erik-prince-off-leash-imperialism-colonialism/ Erik Prince Calls for U.S. to Colonize Africa and Latin America: What could possibly go wrong?] by Jon Schwarz (February 10 2024, 7:00 a.m.) ''The Intercept''</ref>}}
The original colonization, the [[Scramble for Africa]], was not about bringing stable governments to Africa but about seizing wealth. There is little reason to expect that Prince has anything different in mind.

==Team Trump==
It was reported that Prince, as an unofficial emissary of the Trump transition team, attempted to establish secret backchannel communications between [[Russia]] and the Trump presidential transition team in January 2017.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/mueller-gathers-evidence-that-2016-seychelles-meeting-was-effort-to-establish-back-channel-to-kremlin/2018/03/07/b6a5fb8c-224b-11e8-94da-ebf9d112159c_story.html Mueller gathers evidence that 2017 Seychelles meeting was effort to establish back channel to Kremlin] by Sari Horwitz & Devlin Barrett (March 7, 2018 at 7:53 PM) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

[[Cambridge Analytica]], a data mining company that assists election campaigns with the data, assisted the Trump 2016 election campaign and is alleged to have committed illegal acts, including with [[Facebook]] data, in doing so.<ref>[https://www.channel4.com/news/cambridge-analytica-revealed-trumps-election-consultants-filmed-saying-they-use-bribes-and-sex-workers-to-entrap-politicians-investigation Revealed: Trump’s election consultants filmed saying they use bribes and sex workers to entrap politicians] (19 Mar 2018) ''Channel 4''.</ref> Cambridge Analytica is associated with Frontier Services Group (FSG), which provides security to [[Chinese]] businesses in [[Africa]].<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/the-latest-cambridge-analytica-links-to-blackwater-founder/2018/03/21/255bd508-2cf9-11e8-8dc9-3b51e028b845_story.html The Latest: Cambridge Analytica links to Blackwater founder] (March 21 at 7:15 AM) ''Associated Press'' via ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Prince is the Executive Director & Chairman of FSG.<ref>[http://www.fsgroup.com/en/team.html Our Team] Frontier Services Group</ref>

==Helping out the commies==
Though he was born into a wealthy, strongly anti-communist family, Prince decided to help build a mercenary army to defend [[communist]] [[China]]'s business interests in Asia and Africa via the Beijing's International Security Defense College, which is overseen by the Hong Kong-based Frontier Services Group, which Prince founded.<ref name=fisher/> There is obviously no guarantee that mercenaries trained by the college would not be used for enforcement within China, or even engage against US forces. Prince has been accused of acting against US interests, particularly with this college, and of being a mercenary cloaked in patriot's clothing.<ref name=fisher/> In 2019, Prince's Frontier Services Group was planning to build a training base in Xinjiang, the likely aim of which would be aiding in the suppression of China's [[Uighur genocide|Uighur]] minority, where there are reportedly widespread [[human rights]] abuses.
<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/blackwater-founder-erik-princes-new-company-building-training-center-in-xinjiang/2019/02/01/ac372d40-2602-11e9-ba08-caf4ff5a3433_story.html Blackwater founder Erik Prince’s new company is building training center in Xinjiang] by Anna Fifield
(February 1, 2019 at 6:22 AM) ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref>{{wpa|Xinjiang re-education camps}}</ref>

==Spying on the libs==
In 2020, it was reported that Prince recruited former spies to work at [[James O'Keefe]]'s Project Veritas and spy on liberal organizations.<ref name=mazzetti>[https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/07/us/politics/erik-prince-project-veritas.html Erik Prince Recruits Ex-Spies to Help Infiltrate Liberal Groups: Mr. Prince, a contractor close to the Trump administration, contacted veteran spies for operations by Project Veritas, the conservative group known for conducting stings on news organizations and other groups.] by Mark Mazzetti and Adam Goldman (March 7, 2020, 12:41 p.m. ET) ''The New York Times''.</ref> The espionage operations included former {{wpl|MI6}} agent Richard Seddon spying on the teachers' [[union]] American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the congressional campaign of Abigail Spanberger.<ref name=mazzetti/> Not surprisingly, Prince's sister, [[Betsy DeVos]], is a major critic of teachers' unions.<ref name=mazzetti/> The AFT Michigan sued Project Veritas for trespassing in 2018.<ref>[https://theintercept.com/2018/07/23/project-veritas-lawsuit-american-federation-of-teachers/ Lawsuit Against Project Veritas May Shed New Light on Right-Wing Group's Internal Operations] by Rachel M. Cohen (July 23 2018, 11:03 a.m.) ''The Intercept''.</ref><ref>[https://www.aft.org/press-release/federal-judge-denies-james-okeefes-attempt-dodge-accountability-illegal Federal Judge Denies James O'Keefe's Attempt to Dodge Accountability for Illegal Michigan Sting] (March 28, 2019) ''American Federation of Teachers''.</ref>

==Afghanistan==
Not wanting to be left out of the mess that was the end of the US presence in Afghanistan, Erik decided to 
extort
 provide luxury travel to the people fleeing for their lives, to the tune of $6500 each. <ref>[https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/08/25/erik-prince-afghanistan-flights-betsy-devos/5587550001/ Erik Prince and Besty DeVos flights from Afghanistan]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Betsy DeVos]], Prince's sister — wreaking havoc with the Department of Education from 2017 to 2021.
*[[Serco Group]]
*[[Privatization]]

==External links==
*[https://www.constellis.com/ Official website]
*[http://www.lrb.co.uk/v29/n15/meek01_.html An interesting book review] (London Review of Books)
*[http://www.fsgroup.com/en/index.html Frontier Services Group]
*[https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/blackwaters-youngest-victim/ Blackwater's Youngest Victim] - an account of the Nisour Square massacre from a survivor Mohammed Kinani, father of Ali Kinani.

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Crimes against humanity]]
[[Category:Government incompetence]]
[[Category:Iraq]]
[[Category:Islamophobia]]
[[Category:Military]]
[[Category:Racism]]
[[Category:Terrorism]]
[[Category:United States politics]]
[[Category:War crimes]]
[[Category:We're on a mission from God]]

Categories: Crimes against humanity, Government incompetence, Iraq, Islamophobia, Military, Racism, Terrorism, United States politics, War crimes, We're on a mission from God