Posted on 05/14/2011 9:59:04 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, has a new project.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates Late one night last November, a plane carrying dozens of Colombian men touched down in this glittering seaside capital. Whisked through customs by an Emirati intelligence officer, the group boarded an unmarked bus and drove roughly 20 miles to a windswept military complex in the desert sand.
The Colombians had entered the United Arab Emirates posing as construction workers. In fact, they were soldiers for a secret American-led mercenary army being built by Erik Prince, the billionaire founder of Blackwater Worldwide, with $529 million from the oil-soaked sheikdom.
Mr. Prince, who resettled here last year after his security business faced mounting legal problems in the United States, was hired by the crown prince of Abu Dhabi to put together an 800-member battalion of foreign troops for the U.A.E., according to former employees on the project, American officials and corporate documents obtained by The New York Times.
The force is intended to conduct special operations missions inside and outside the country, defend oil pipelines and skyscrapers from terrorist attacks and put down internal revolts, the documents show. Such troops could be deployed if the Emirates faced unrest or were challenged by pro-democracy demonstrations in its crowded labor camps or democracy protests like those sweeping the Arab world this year.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The problem of relying on mercenaries to guard the head of state is that eventually they have to be given a seat at the table of rulership.
“The Emirates wanted the troops to be ready to deploy just weeks after stepping off the plane, but it quickly became clear that the Colombians military skills fell far below expectations. Some of these kids couldnt hit the broad side of a barn, said a former employee. Other recruits admitted to never having fired a weapon.”
All war is based on deception—Sun Tzu
BTTT
A private army, funded by oil wealth, armed with up-to-date weapons systems, could take down the governments of any small nation in Central or South America. How could Chavez stop them?
What the UAE is *really* afraid of is a democratic revolt by all of its workers, who are mainly Pakistanis and Filipinos and kept in labor camps.
Apparently the Emiratis don’t do anything for themselves, aside from count their money.
The Arabs need to hire more South Africans and Serbs as Mercenaries.
“) Kick his ass, pee on him, and set him on fire.”
LOL!
Nice, but you forgot “...before he molests your son or tries to indoctrinate him into his sodomistic sexual practices.”
This is a late post and I am not sure if someone responded, but you can actually drink in the UAE (in particular Dubai). I have been there, and it is basically a city from Star Wars. I have pictures that (especially at night) seem to be from some sci-fi movie. Some of the craziest bars and clubs. Dubai is quite liberal, while Abu Dhabi and the other Emirates tend to be more conservative. In terms of drink and vice, Dubai is basically what Vegas would like to become when it grows up. The only problem with Dubai is that it is a city that was literally built from slavery. Amazing place to be in, and fantastic shopping, but if you have a conscience you only need to catch a glimpse of the Bangladeshi workers to realize that pleasure is built, not on sweat, but blood.
Aren't they located in hotels where Westerners frequent?
Yup ...as far as I know in is at the hotels.
Then that doesn't really count. The Arabs do not tolerate alcohol and "loose morals" exhibited by Western women. I won't be surprised to see a city-wide crackdown on hotels in the next decade or so.
Harris to head delegation to UAE following the death of its president
The hill ^ | 05/14/2022 | Caroline Vakil
Posted on 5/14/2022, 3:30:15 PM by ChicagoConservative27
Vice President Harris will lead a presidential delegation to the United Arab Emirates on Monday, following the death of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday, the White House announced.
Harris will travel to the UAE to “offer condolences on behalf of the Biden-Harris Administration and the American people on the passing of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan,” Harris’s press secretary Kirsten Allen said in a statement.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
11 years later. Interesting enough Erik Prince is only 53 years old today. Thought he would be older than that.
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