Blackwater's New Frontier: Their Own Private Africa

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http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/03/blackwaters-new-frontier-their-own-private-africa


"You give me money, I don't care who you are." It was late October, and Zimbabwe's defense attaché, a soft-spoken, thick-shouldered lieutenant colonel, was explaining his country's freewheeling approach to business in the banquet room of the Liaison hotel on Capitol Hill. Mingling around him were representatives from some of the world's best-known private security and military contracting firms, gathered to explore their prospects in the industry's next frontier: Africa. None betrayed any eagerness to do business with Robert Mugabe, notwithstanding assurances from the beaming attaché that Zimbabwe—"the second-largest economy in southern Africa"—remains strong despite 231 million percent annual inflation. But there were plenty of other avenues to explore, including a recent shake-up in the US military's command structure that seemed to promise new demand for firms like Blackwater (which recently changed its name to Xe), Triple Canopy, and DynCorp.

The guests, dressed in business attire and the odd military uniform, were gathered for the annual summit of the International Peace Operations Association (IPOA), a trade group. Industry reps had traveled from as far as Dubai and Malta to discuss this year's topic—the Pentagon's newly established US Africa Command, or AFRICOM—and to browse booths hawking everything from armored vehicles to high-risk insurance. Arrayed on a table in the back were piles of corporate literature, complete with pictures of Third World children and Western contractors delivering aid, a popular industry meme. Among the big-ticket attractions was a keynote address from William E. "Kip" Ward, the four-star general in charge of AFRICOM.

The event drew record attendance, and industry veterans were not surprised. "Everybody's always been interested in Africa," Chris Taylor, a former Blackwater executive and now a vice president at Ohio-based Mission Essential Personnel, explained over drinks in the hotel bar. "It represents a huge opportunity for business."

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If the sheer number of companies represented at the ipoa conference is any indication, Blackwater's envoys will run into plenty of their competitors—and that makes some observers uneasy. "You start bringing these people on the scene, they come in as trainers, but at the drop of a hat they can be other things," said the ngo security director. "They have skills, they have something to bring, but it's a double-edged sword, and it depends on which edge is being presented."
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the raping of Africa continues

[blm]

1. Wanna bet their 'interests' are in areas where there is a large source of water?

Or oil....just as BFEE set up in South America.