Post by The Mad Jackyl on Feb 4, 2008 16:21:31 GMT -5
I've been reading up on reviews for a book about the ultra-scandalous Blackwater organization that's been in the news for a few years. The book is called, "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army," by Jeremy Scahill. So many things about this organization seem to parallel the world of Metal Gear and especially MGS4 and Outer Heaven as has so far been laid out to us by Mr. Kojima. I'll show you some of these points. Scahill has also written for other publications, including Democratic-aligned periodical The Nation, in which he writes:
The author details the rise of this PMC-like entity as it began in the mid 90's (same time as Outer Heaven) in the wilderness of North Carolina and rose to prominence in the ensuing decade. As Scahill notes, Blackwater has as many, if not more than 2,300 soldiers operating at any given time in nine different countries. These are not the only forces commandeered by Blackwater as it maintains a massive database of 21,000 special forces and retired police members that it has the capability of deploying at a moment's notice. Blackwater is also one of the top trainers for U.S. law enforcement, training tens of thousands each year. Other things the corporation has at its disposal are:
One notable contract they won was to be the security force for Paul Bremmer, the "public face" for the American occupational forces in Iraq. This contract was for $27 million. Scahill describes Bremmer's security forces thusly:
Sounds and looks like some of the PMC troops you see in the MGS4 trailers, huh?
From the moment the US troop buildup began in advance of the invasion of Iraq, the Pentagon made private contractors an integral part of the operations. Even as the government gave the public appearance of attempting diplomacy, Halliburton was prepping for a massive operation. When US tanks rolled into Baghdad in March 2003, they brought with them the largest army of private contractors ever deployed in modern war. By the end of Rumsfeld's tenure in late 2006, there were an estimated 100,000 private contractors on the ground in Iraq--an almost one-to-one ratio with active-duty American soldiers.
The author details the rise of this PMC-like entity as it began in the mid 90's (same time as Outer Heaven) in the wilderness of North Carolina and rose to prominence in the ensuing decade. As Scahill notes, Blackwater has as many, if not more than 2,300 soldiers operating at any given time in nine different countries. These are not the only forces commandeered by Blackwater as it maintains a massive database of 21,000 special forces and retired police members that it has the capability of deploying at a moment's notice. Blackwater is also one of the top trainers for U.S. law enforcement, training tens of thousands each year. Other things the corporation has at its disposal are:
- A fleet of over 20 aircraft, including helicopter gunships.
- A 7,000 acre compound, the largest of any private military facility.
- $500 million in government contracts, which means they are well backed financially. This figure does not take into account any "black budget" money from foreign states, U.S. Intelligence agencies or other private companies.
- A multinational faction consisting of Hondurans, Chileans, Americans, South Africans and other nationalities.
- Immunity from most forms of prosecution for war crimes, despite legislation being passed in late 2006 that would hold such American "contractors" in Iraq liable if such things occurred.
One notable contract they won was to be the security force for Paul Bremmer, the "public face" for the American occupational forces in Iraq. This contract was for $27 million. Scahill describes Bremmer's security forces thusly:
[They] embodied the ugly American persona to a tee. Its guards were chiseled like bodybuilders and wore tackey wrap-around sunglasses. Many wore goatees and dressed in all-khaki uniforms with ammo vests or Blackwater t-shirts with the trademark bear claw in the crosshairs, sleeves rolled up…Their haircuts were short and they sported security earpieces and lightweight machine guns.
Sounds and looks like some of the PMC troops you see in the MGS4 trailers, huh?
