Blackwater : the rise of the world's most powerful mercenary army (edition 2007)

I found this book to be very well researched and very well written. The only reason why I gave it a 4 star, is because it seemed to me, to represent only side of the matter. I am sure Blackwater would have a completely different perspective.

The first twenty or thirty pages were a little slow, but then it picked up. Once it picked up, i could not put it down. The book was stunning, and assuming all this is true, the implications are frightening indeed. I am not American, and I don't live in America, however, it would appear to me that a most insidious and dangerous force is slowly taking over much of the security measures/activities in the US, and that this agency may become stronger than the government ones. Since they are motivated primarily by money and power, their lust for the same will be implacable, and the security systems will be held ransom by utterly ruthless men, driven by their cold, hard motives.

Brr... This can be a scary prospect indeed, and I would not like to think too deeply about this at all. I would not sleep at night.

All in all, a fascinating book about the growth of Big Brother in our backyards. ( )

This is single-handedly the best book I've read on warmongering, capitalism, and Christian crusading (all masquerading as promoting democracy and freedom) in years. While the book is, on the surface, about Blackwater (now Xe), it tells a horrifying thirty to forty year tale of the America's warmongering and how it continues to perpetuate unabated. Recently a survey asked what was the country most dangerous to the United States. Before I had a chance to study the multiple choice answers, I blurted out, the United States. This book shows you why that is the answer - and not any axis of evil perpetuated by right (or left) wing propaganda. ( )

Blackwater is a private organization in North Carolina that provides military contractors (mercenaries) for use by businesses and the U.S. Government in such areas as Iraq and Afghanistan, and have even worked supplying security in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Many of the members of this organization are former special operations specialists such as Navy Seals. Blackwater has over 7,000 acres in Moyock, North Carolina, where they offer training and facilities to military, law enforcement, special ops teams, CIA, Homeland Security, etc. They claim to be able to do the same jobs that our military does, but for less money. Even though they seem to want to receive the same recognition that our soldiers do, the don't seem to want to be held accountable to the same standards. This was a very interesting book, and I'm not against such organizations as Blackwater as long as they are held accountable for their actions, and don't actually cost us more money. The leaders of this organization seem to have very close ties with the Christian conservative Republicans, and I'm worried they may be too close, and receive considerations that other companies do not. ( )

Here's a scary look at a North Carolina business. Scahill sheds light on a mercenary company with too much influence in the backroom deals of our country's national security apparatus. ( )

+ a good starting point for further reading on the matter
- repetition can go a long way when building a case, if it's done right ( )