Blackwater Founder Makes Secret Army in UAE

[K. A. Pital]

Afghanistan was controlled by the British Empire, later invaded by the USSR and finally by the USA. Right now it's one of the most definitely fitting examples of a national failure. Ethiopia was invaded by fascist Italy in the 1930s. Himalayan nations? British never colonized Nepal, but they invaded it in the Anglo-Nepalese war (which ended by BE carving away a third of the tiny nation's land), and so... These examples above clearly don't count.

Thailand is a good example, off-hands I didn't think about it, formally that place was not colonized ever, although the US did dick with Thailand during their South Asian shenanigans. However, that was past the age of formal colonialism and imperialism.

So out of four, there's one which is formally fitting.

[folti78]

Thailand is a good example, off-hands I didn't think about it, formally that place was not colonized ever, although the US did dick with Thailand during their South Asian shenanigans. However, that was past the age of formal colonialism and imperialism.

Thailand hasn't been colonized outright by the original Great Powers, although both the British and the French carved out territories repeatedly before WW2.
In WW2 it's been invaded and occupied by Japan.

I originally wanted to nominate Bhutan, but it turned out that while they never been occupied, they had to cede territories and control of their foreign relations to the British in the second part of the 19th century.

[Mr. Coffee]

Hokay, someone correct me if I'm wrong here...

1. Billionaire douchebag responsible for making the one of the two most fucked up merc outfits ever has decided to offer his services to other nations in building them a decent military.

2. Oil wealthy borderline third world fuck hole with a thin patina of civilization on hires said billion are douchebag to make them an effect military.

3. He makes deals with/merges with/hires other douchebags from his former competitors.

4. It turns out that yet again said billionaire douchebag is a market savvy genius and correctly guessed there was a market for his shit.

5. And you dumbasses are surprised why?

Seriously, this is as silly as a the plot of a Tom Clancy novel, yet we're all eating it up like it's at all a new concept or even remotely illegal. What the fuck, over?

[Sarevok]

Surprised ? No, just appalled.

[Shroom Man 777]

Mmm... I also like how one of the Emiratis' main concern was the large population of migrant workers, like Filipinos, and how the mercs were supposed to put down any troubles if the workers get uppity.

I am certain my government will do nothing if our people over there get massacred by mercenaries.

[Lonestar]

Mmm... I also like how one of the Emiratis' main concern was the large population of migrant workers, like Filipinos, and how the mercs were supposed to put down any troubles if the workers get uppity.

I am certain my government will do nothing if our people over there get massacred by mercenaries.

I'm pretty sure something like a third of your economy comes from overseas workers sending cash home. There's actually an incentive on the PI guv'ments part to not rock the boat.

[Sarevok]

Mmm... I also like how one of the Emiratis' main concern was the large population of migrant workers, like Filipinos, and how the mercs were supposed to put down any troubles if the workers get uppity.

I am certain my government will do nothing if our people over there get massacred by mercenaries.

I dont think its just Filipinos. Other countries with low income workers there also wont do much more than make noises. There is a reason Arabs recruit from such countries - they are full of poor and desparate people.

[K. A. Pital]

There's actually an incentive on the PI guv'ments part to not rock the boat.

And keep workers rightless that way. It's not as easy as that. If workers get more protection and decent wages, they would be able to send home more. True, UAE may deport workers, but what's best, keep the foreign workers in nations which don't abuse them or let them be abused everywhere by showing the Owners that you're not going to "rock the boat"?

[Shroom Man 777]

If we will rock the boat, they will not get our people and will instead recruit from other crapsack countries like Mozambique or something. That is why they choose desperate countries who willingly abase themselves just to earn dineros. Would Mexican workers be hired in America if they unionized and wanted higher than sub-minimum wages, and protested for better working conditions? No. The abasement and degradation of the working-class is essential to the continued function of countries like the UAE and other places filled with fat decadent fucks.

[Zaune]

And more to the point, how exactly is the government of the Phillipines supposed to rock the boat anyway, send the UAE embassy a strongly-worded letter of complaint?

[Shroom Man 777]

Not even that. Our expat workers are abused all the time in the Middle East, yet our government is powerless and does nothing so long as those working abroad send their dollars home, even if their conditions are abhorrent as long as the money flows it's all good.

[Lonestar]

And keep workers rightless that way. It's not as easy as that. If workers get more protection and decent wages, they would be able to send home more. True, UAE may deport workers, but what's best, keep the foreign workers in nations which don't abuse them or let them be abused everywhere by showing the Owners that you're not going to "rock the boat"?

When such a large part of your economic well being comes from cash being sent home from overseas, it probably isn't worth it. Especially when, as Shroom points out, they'll just recruit from somewhere else.

(when I was in Bahrain a cab driver was apparently listening to the Arabic version of Rush Limbaugh on the radio, then he turned it down and loudly informed us that the reason why the Bahraini people had such a hard time was because the king hired the "dark skinned ones" and "Darkie Chinese" to steal jobs of the hard working Arabs. My liberty buddy was black and put out by the comment, until further conversation revealed he was talking about Baluchis, Bengalis and Filipinos.)

[Shroom Man 777]

Fuck, so to people from Bakalakadaka Street, we're just like Mexican immigrants in the USA?

[Lonestar]

Fuck, so to people from Bakalakadaka Street, we're just like Mexican immigrants in the USA?

In Bahrain you are.

[Simon_Jester]

That was your point earlier, Shroomy; you drew the analogy yourself:

If we will rock the boat, they will not get our people and will instead recruit from other crapsack countries like Mozambique or something. That is why they choose desperate countries who willingly abase themselves just to earn dineros. Would Mexican workers be hired in America if they unionized and wanted higher than sub-minimum wages, and protested for better working conditions? No. The abasement and degradation of the working-class is essential to the continued function of countries like the UAE and other places filled with fat decadent fucks.

The rest of the dynamic is inevitable: poor immigrants do a lot of the menial work, and become targets for nativist rabble-rousers who want to blame the country's problems on the poor immigrants, because it's a useful distraction.

[Akhlut]

Truly, America's mission to freedomize the Middle East and turn it into another US is working; why, they even have their own Mexicans to denigrate!

Anyway, this is a bit disturbing, given that Erik Prince apparently has ideas about destroying Islam. So, a cadre of elite troops in the heart of an Islamic nation headed by a guy who apparently hates Islam? I'm sure there's no way for this to go wrong somewhere.

[[R_H]]

The NYT has copy of a contract on their site PDF

It's between the General Headquarters of the UAE (represented by Staff Major General Eissa Saif Mohamed Al Mazroui (referred to in the contract as First Party)) and R2.

Interesting bits:

2-1

All Personnel intending to work for the First Party must have received prior military training, and have served in field military units for at least two years, and they shall be selected through the formation of a joint commitee between the two parties, after verification of their identity papers, personal interviews, and then physical fitness tests and complete medical examinations

2-2

Once the personal interviews and medical examinations are completedm the Personnel shall participate in training courses as referenced in Addendum G Statement of Work, and Paragraph 2 Annex B attached hereto, including but not limited to the following subjects:
Physical fitness
Guard duty and search
Patrols
Search for explosives
Telecommunications
Unarmed combat
Crowd controll
Training on crisis and disaster response
Awareness of the GHQ Armed Forces laws
Customs and traditions of the United Arab Emirates

2-3-3

The Second Party untertakes that all the individuals includedd in this Contract shall abide by the UAE and Armed Forces laws, regulations and bylaws

2-3-5

The Second party may not use the contracted work sites as training fields for any person other than the Personnel

2-3-6

The Second Party's activities and duties are subject to the supervision and audit of the First Party's competent staff.

Article (5) Rates

The below mentioned charges and costs are deemed included in the total value of this Contract, and the Second Party may not claim for any increase or other expenses except as agreed upon in advance between the two parties:
Recruitment costs, including tests and examinations carried out by the delegation representing the Armed Forces
Costs of the personal interviews
Training costs
Costs for the replacement in case of injury or service termination of any of the Personnel
Costs of air passage tickets (int the country of origin only)

[[R_H]]

United Arab Emirates Confirms Hiring Blackwater Founder’s Firm

The United Arab Emirates confirmed on Sunday that it had hired a company run by Erik Prince, the billionaire founder of Blackwater Worldwide, to provide “operational, planning and training support” to its military. But it gave no details of the company’s project to build a foreign mercenary battalion for the Emirati government.

A written statement from a top Emirati general, issued through the U.A.E.’s official news agency, said that the country had relied extensively on outside contractors to bolster its military, and that all work with contractors was “compliant with international law and relevant conventions.”

The statement, by Gen. Juma Ali Khalaf al-Hamiri, said that the U.A.E. had signed a contract with Reflex Responses, Mr. Prince’s company, but made no mention of the hundreds of Colombian, South African and other foreign troops now training at an Emirati military base. The statement did not mention Mr. Prince by name.

The New York Times reported on Sunday that the company last year signed a $529 million contract with the Emirati government to recruit and train a foreign battalion for counterterrorism and internal security missions, according to former Reflex Responses employees, American officials and corporate documents.

Former employees said that the company had a separate lucrative contract to help protect a string of nuclear reactors planned in the U.A.E. and to provide cybersecurity for the nuclear sites.

The U.A.E is a close American ally, and officials in Washington indicated that there was some support in the Obama administration for the foreign mercenary battalion. But the State Department is looking into the project to ensure it does not violate American laws regulating the export of defense technology and expertise.

General Hamiri’s statement said his country’s military had gone through an “extensive process of development and Emiratisation,” which has allowed Emirati forces to make “meaningful contributions” in recent conflicts in places like Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

Kateri Carmola, a professor at Middlebury College in Vermont who researches the use of private security companies, said that it was common for countries to hire contractors for military training, but that it appeared that Reflex Responses had more ambitious goals both in the U.A.E. and elsewhere.

“There is no real legal precedent for a company like this, where the U.A.E. would be used as a launch pad for a wide range of missions, and potentially for a wide range of clients,” she said.

[Mr. Coffee]

Wow, the more and more I read about this shit the more and more I'm convinced Prince has been plagiarizing his corporate goals from the plot to Tom Clancy's HAWX.

[Zaune]

Wow, the more and more I read about this shit the more and more I'm convinced Prince has been plagiarizing his corporate goals from the plot to Tom Clancy's HAWX.

This makes me profoundly grateful I've never owned that game. And it puts me more in mind of something one might read in 2000AD.