When you don’t have a phony war to fight, it’s good there are civilians who can hire your mercs for private black ops.
Over the past several years, entities closely linked to the private security firm Blackwater have provided intelligence, training and security services to US and foreign governments as well as several multinational corporations, including Monsanto, Chevron, the Walt Disney Company, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and banking giants Deutsche Bank and Barclays, according to documents obtained by The Nation. Blackwater’s work for corporations and government agencies was contracted using two companies owned by Blackwater’s owner and founder, Erik Prince: Total Intelligence Solutions and the Terrorism Research Center (TRC). Prince is listed as the chairman of both companies in internal company documents, which show how the web of companies functions as a highly coordinated operation.
[...]
Through Total Intelligence and the Terrorism Research Center, Blackwater also did business with a range of multinational corporations. According to internal Total Intelligence communications, biotech giant Monsanto—the world’s largest supplier of genetically modified seeds—hired the firm in 2008–09. The relationship between the two companies appears to have been solidified in January 2008 when Total Intelligence chair Cofer Black traveled to Zurich to meet with Kevin Wilson, Monsanto’s security manager for global issues.
After the meeting in Zurich, Black sent an e-mail to other Blackwater executives, including to Prince and Prado at their Blackwater e-mail addresses. Black wrote that Wilson “understands that we can span collection from internet, to reach out, to boots on the ground on legit basis protecting the Monsanto [brand] name…. Ahead of the curve info and insight/heads up is what he is looking for.” Black added that Total Intelligence “would develop into acting as intel arm of Monsanto.” Black also noted that Monsanto was concerned about animal rights activists and that they discussed how Blackwater “could have our person(s) actually join [activist] group(s) legally.” Black wrote that initial payments to Total Intelligence would be paid out of Monsanto’s “generous protection budget” but would eventually become a line item in the company’s annual budget.

After the meeting in Zurich, Black sent an e-mail to other Blackwater executives, including to Prince and Prado at their Blackwater e-mail addresses. Black wrote that Wilson “understands that we can span collection from internet, to reach out, to boots on the ground on legit basis protecting the Monsanto [brand] name…. Ahead of the curve info and insight/heads up is what he is looking for.” Black added that Total Intelligence “would develop into acting as intel arm of Monsanto.” Black also noted that Monsanto was concerned about animal rights activists and that they discussed how Blackwater “could have our person(s) actually join [activist] group(s) legally.” Black wrote that initial payments to Total Intelligence would be paid out of Monsanto’s “generous protection budget” but would eventually become a line item in the company’s annual budget.










#15 Chris -
So you think it is OK for private corporations to use military style force to support their private commercial interests on foreign lands. Never mind that in most cases that ends up being nothing but theft (and often elimination) of the local population, to the enrichment of a few corrupt politicians.
#19 & #21
I never said mercenaries are okay or good, but it is a durable business. Ancient empires used mercenaries all the time and modern ones do today.
Many of the marquee human suffering stories(Rwanda, Sudan, Congo, Nigeria’s delta, Iraq, Afghanistan) have a leading or supporting theme of resource extraction. Getting a national military involved in these areas drives up costs exponentially.
Of course, I would rather that resource consumers allowed/encouraged resource suppliers to have proper governance and development priorities.
I don’t think that is likely any time soon, though.
What happens now that the majority of his assurances that the Russians themselves do not believe in is TV, radio and newspapers.
Disney?
Bush outsourced EVERYTHING to private industry. Now our military bases are protected by the finest low pay flatfoots you can buy.
No young, strong well armed highly trained MP’s at the gates, no sirree!
Fat minimum wage lady with a badge protecting our military installations from Al Qaeda!
A blog is a great platform to make money online without investment. It needs a little effort to set up a blog for money.
Erik Prince is a Germanic supremacist psychopath, and that’s what he likes to hire as his stormtroopers.