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& REVIEWS about energy/climate change policy, protec- —_ contribution was small but significant—as it B oO oO K S tion of the cattle industry from BSE, promo- __ was in the Caspian where it built a military P tion of creative industries, defence procure- _ base only miles from the Iranian border. Reviewed by Ruth Parnell ments and safety of the nation's blood prod- — Today it has 2,300 private soldiers of vary- NATIONAL INSECURITY ucts which deliberately favour US interests. ing nationalities deployed in nine countries, by Linda Weiss, Elizabeth Thurbon and Australians are expecting to go to the polls but the company can draw on 21,000 former John Mathews in late 2007, but not before Howard aggran- _military and law enforcement personnel at Allen & Unwin, Australia, 2007 dises himself on the regional APEC stage in _short notice and is planning a bright future ISBN 978-1 “744 75-051 5 (298pp tpb) Sydney in September. Have the authors where outsourcing will be instrumental in Available: www.allenandunwin.com considered that the PM must dance toa for- _the success of foreign campaigns. — en years of Australia's leadership b: eign piper's tune, regardless of who wins? Scahill, who credits the research input of Prime Minister John Howard amounts to fellow investigators, says Blackwater also a betrayal of the nation's security. economy BLACKWATER: has big Plans for forays on domestic soil. Its culture and institutions. Howard has sold ‘The Rise of the World's Most Powerful ‘ole in patrolling the streets following hurri- out the national interest to the USA to gain Mercenary Army cane Katrina in New Orleans provided a model for intervention in future natural dis- kudos in its corridors of power, to achieve by Jeremy Scahill : : : a status and personal glory (which he was Nation Books, New York, USA, 2007 aster rele irons. whats particu’ar'y dis 4 denied in his years in the opposition wilder- ISBN 1-5602-5979-5 (464pp tpb) § 1s ° pany op 8 Dey . E ne : i" the rule of law, whether at home or abroad. ness), and to destroy his chief political oppo- Available: www.blackwaterbook.com Fortunately, some Congress representatives nent the Austtalian Labor Patty. ies Lind he transformation ? ne os military was and senators are pressing for legislation to 0 argue Sydney-based academics Linda set in motion long before the events o: rein in what is a new elite Praetorian Guard Weiss, Elizabeth Thurbon and John 9/11, thanks to the efforts of Dick Cheney wat : an . rca whose rise is a threat to democracy. Mathews, who issued a warning in their and Donald Rumsfeld. However, waiting in 2004 book, How to Kill a Country, about the _ the wings following 9/11 was Blackwater the free trade deal with the USA whicheven __ USA, a private army established in a North Australia's expert negotiators saw as in Carolina swamp in 1996 by multimillionaire direct conflict with the national interest and Christian conservative and Republican Party amounted to a sell-out of the nation. supporter Erik Prince. In National Insecurity, the authors focus As investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill on several key areas or industries—energy, reveals in Blackwater, the corporation tested rural, cultural, defence and blood supply— itself in Afghanistan but came of age three where PM Howard has put US strategic and — months after the massacre of some of its economic interests first, but the astute per- mercenaries in Fallujah, Iraq, on 31 March son can name dozens more. They explain 2004, when it won the lucrative contract to how Howard has been able to step up his provide personal security for US VIPs in personal agenda with the US Bush adminis- _Iraq (see his article in our previous edition). tration, using the alliance as an ideological While 100,000 private contractors (includ- platform rather than a geopolitical impera- ing military, catering, cleaning, etc. person- tive and stifling domestic dissent in the nel) were on the ground in Iraq as of process. They accuse him of servile pander- | Rumsfeld's departure as US secretary of ing to George W. Bush, of making decisions defence in November 2006, Blackwater's about energy/climate change policy, protec- tion of the cattle industry from BSE, promo- tion of creative industries, defence procure- ments and safety of the nation's blood prod- ucts which deliberately favour US interests. Australians are expecting to go to the polls in late 2007, but not before Howard aggran- dises himself on the regional APEC stage in Sydney in September. Have the authors considered that the PM must dance to a for- eign piper's tune, regardless of who wins? contribution was small but significant—as it was in the Caspian where it built a military base only miles from the Iranian border. Today it has 2,300 private soldiers of vary- ing nationalities deployed in nine countries, but the company can draw on 21,000 former military and law enforcement personnel at short notice and is planning a bright future where outsourcing will be instrumental in the success of foreign campaigns. Scahill, who credits the research input of fellow investigators, says Blackwater also has big plans for forays on domestic soil. Its role in patrolling the streets following hurri- cane Katrina in New Orleans provided a model for intervention in future natural dis- aster relief efforts. What is particularly dis- turbing is that this company operates beyond the rule of law, whether at home or abroad. Fortunately, some Congress representatives and senators are pressing for legislation to rein in what is a new elite Praetorian Guard whose rise is a threat to democracy. NEXUS 67 AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2007 www.nexusmagazine.com