tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56450452201110142582009-11-28T12:56:19.053-08:00private military companies (PMCs) and defense and security contractors : exploring unfolding trends and alternative futures for their use. This year: an emphasis on the connection between the financial downturn and the deteriorating global security outlook.PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-10396740995676580182009-11-27T05:35:00.000-08:002009-11-27T05:43:25.470-08:00

Security contractors in the final series of Lost? Well, when commercial interests meet risk, we will always find security contractors. Not just now, as the use of contractors has been a constant throughout modern history. However, we are not talking here about Lost, the popular TV series in which security contractors have featured. We are talking about the new “lost generation” because of the

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-3120843214615958552009-04-25T09:48:00.000-07:002009-04-25T10:09:27.485-07:00

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), headed by David Miliband, announced last Friday the endorsement of the establishment of a Code of Conduct for UK-based Private Military and Security Companies. Some analysts were excited to hear something was finally happening since the release of the Green Paper “Private Military Companies: Options for Regulation” in February 2002. Think twice

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-7149530981655108182009-04-03T15:04:00.000-07:002009-04-03T16:44:04.519-07:00

Old, new, and quantitatively easedSo the US and the UK wanted the world to replicate their strategy of printing money (called ‘quantitative easing’ when it is not done by Third World countries) at the touch of a computer key and old Europe to push for new standards of global financial regulation.At world summits, heads of state always win. The strategy is simple: argue loudly that you want to

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-79349210594168756552009-03-29T12:12:00.000-07:002009-04-03T16:30:42.742-07:00

...That is the questionFirst of all, let us remind you why we are paying a great deal of attention to the health of the world economy. This is because the private security response needed to keep things stable is so far attainable, but probably not if the world economy spirals down to an unsuspected deeper bottom. This is also the reason why the G20 meeting this week, ordinarily the most

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-41677008848513437642009-03-26T05:30:00.000-07:002009-04-03T16:32:15.624-07:00

This is an answer to a question posted by an insisting reader.He would like to know who provides security to the bank bosses behind the global financial downturn. However, we warn the reader that trying to link somehow financial wrongdoing on Wall Street and the City of London to Xe (the Private Military Company formerly known as Blackwater) is pathetic. We understand a young audience produces

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-1124313014415207432009-03-25T14:58:00.000-07:002009-04-03T16:33:38.293-07:00

Today, the house of the former head of RBS (the one behind the collapse of the bank, thereafter rewarded with a multi-million pension) was vandalized. The people behind the attack have the profile of a bunch of aspiring anarchists about whom nothing is known. In France, workers at a 3M (the US corporation) plant have been holding its boss hostage since last night after dozens of workers were laid

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-40876235198514690982009-03-13T05:29:00.000-07:002009-03-13T05:34:57.798-07:00

The UK is hosting the G20 Meeting, the so-called London Summit, on April 2, 2009. In light of the ongoing global financial downturn, there is no need to elaborate on the importance of this particular summit. Spirits are running high, not only among heads of state and finance ministers, but also among those of us who do not live on the state or profited from the burst financial bubble.How big is

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-23928193863125635932009-03-13T05:20:00.000-07:002009-03-13T07:40:17.389-07:00

Luxembourg’s official name is the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a name that reflects its patrician origins. The country is one of the founding members of key international organizations such as the UN, NATO, and the European Union. Accordingly, it has its citizens well positioned in, for example, the IMF and the World Bank. It is a very prosperous country with a well-groomed multilingual population

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-4047166096050054052009-03-06T07:09:00.000-08:002009-03-06T07:25:13.448-08:00

Who would have thought about it a few months back? Today, March 6, 2009 (please mark it in your calendar), the United Kingdom set the press rolling and started to print money to prop up its economy. Off course in the modern world new banknotes are not simply printed. It is done at the touch of a computer key, has fancy names such as ‘quantitative easing’, and it is used to purchase assets,

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-72644961495939773002009-03-04T13:00:00.000-08:002009-03-04T13:03:12.359-08:00

Today, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for the arrest of Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir, the president of Sudan. The ICC press release read:“Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir, President of Sudan, for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is suspected of being criminally responsible, as an

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-45177415994685124672009-02-28T13:06:00.000-08:002009-02-28T13:24:04.233-08:00

During the period of most intense fighting in Iraq, a common story making the rounds was about the apparently excessive wages paid to security contractors. Many of these reports misrepresented pay in the private military sector as a whole and certainly within Iraq. Often, it was alleged a wage of $1000 per operative per day –some even argued that per hour– was the going rate. Generally, that

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-58056370802911724462009-01-21T12:02:00.000-08:002009-02-08T12:11:37.541-08:00

Not a single American president before Barack Obama has faced such an overwhelming and multidimensional agenda upon his inauguration. Expectations are high. However, he will not be able to perform miracles. The unfolding crisis has been gestating over the last decade. It not only enmeshes the global financial downturn, but also a deteriorating global security outlook and the dislocation of the

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-80280761990863215832008-10-17T13:06:00.000-07:002008-10-22T12:22:38.433-07:00

A tragedy in three actsThe third debate between Barack Obama and John McCain converged to free trade. The elephant in the room was NAFTA. In spite of being the largest and most successful such agreement, the presidential contenders failed to acknowledge either Canada or Mexico as important trade partners. In this light, to McCain the strongest ally of the United States in the Americas is Colombia

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-66139455769231228642008-10-04T13:00:00.000-07:002008-10-04T14:01:53.463-07:00

As the global financial crisis has inevitably taken center stage, security contractors are not likely to figure in John McCain’s election agenda. In fact, other than a collection of brief statements, concrete policy proposals pertaining their use and control failed to materialize. Nevertheless, there is an item about the military-industrial complex that throws some light on his views about

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-87261451747494619142008-09-18T13:41:00.001-07:002008-09-18T14:24:22.145-07:00

Full name of the document: Montreux Document on Pertinent International Legal Obligations and Good Practices for States Related to Operations of Private Military and Security Companies During Armed Conflict.Background: A text containing rules and good practices relating to private military and security companies operating in armed conflict. The initiative for this document, which is the first of

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-46710096688381996522008-09-03T14:04:00.000-07:002008-09-03T14:09:25.397-07:00

Imagine you are on a fix. For the current state of world affairs shows already a minefield ahead. Imagine you want to lead the way forward. Here, pretend for a few minutes that you are John McCain. You have the means to put together a good team to help you deal with the manifold issues involved. But given advanced experience paralleling your age, your first task is finding a capable deputy to

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-77019244878235588412008-08-24T13:33:00.000-07:002008-08-24T13:42:31.126-07:00

On the campaign trail, Senator Barack Obama offered an insight into his conceptual understanding of security contractors and their relationship with the state. Although to people new to private military affairs he scored well, to a more advanced audience he sounded amateurish. Senator Obama was asked by the editorial board of Military Times about his thoughts on economic efficiency of security

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-35801962082335021942008-07-30T06:18:00.001-07:002008-07-30T14:24:10.922-07:00

A review inspired by Stephen Armstrong’s War Plc: The Rise of the New Corporate Mercenary.Let’s say you are a journalist who suddenly and just in 2005, yes 2005, discovered that Private Military Companies exist and are part of a thriving industry. You are excited about your ‘discovery’ and want to share this never-before-told story with the men in the street. Given the 10 year gap since the

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-20305513463505805342008-06-24T16:07:00.000-07:002008-07-04T16:14:33.709-07:00

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is planning to modernize the French armed forces, finally. His ambitious plans are already angering traditionalists, who want to continue seeing defense through twenty-century lenses. Sarkozy presented the new defense white paper on 17 June 2008. In a very French style, officers writing under the pseudonym “Surcouf” promptly attacked the plan. Sales of Le Figaro

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-92220643276933334682008-06-12T03:13:00.001-07:002008-06-12T03:13:39.227-07:00

A portrait of average Taliban fighters emerges from a research project by Canada's The Globe and Mail: a dangerous assignment with 42 video recordings of fighters answering a standarized list of questions.read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-72588819944983618002008-06-05T12:37:00.001-07:002008-06-05T12:37:17.520-07:00

As the role of the US shrinks and the Baghdad government takes on more responsibility for reconstruction, Iraq's new business class fears the disappearance of the opportunities and the business environment that have allowed it to flourish. "If the Americans leave Iraq, I will leave Iraq," says Mohammed al-Shamari, a 35- year-old businessman from the Shia al-Khadimiya district of Baghdad. "The

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-14285256917087452532008-06-05T01:28:00.001-07:002008-06-05T01:28:33.945-07:00

In the UK, more than 20,000 personnel left the Forces last year, many citing the poor salary as their reason. The lowest paid soldiers are on just £12,572 a year while traffic wardens receive a basic salary of £17,000. Servicemen and women were given a pay rise of just 2.6 this year. Still questioning why the join the private military industry?read more | digg story

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-66524792576707849522008-05-26T06:21:00.000-07:002008-05-26T06:29:59.396-07:00

29 May 2008 marks one year since five British hostages have been held in captivity in Iraq, possibly Iran. At noon on 29 May 2007, five British security guards employed by GardaWorld, a Canadian-owned security company, and a computer specialist working for BearingPoint, the US-based management consultancy firm, were kidnapped at gunpoint in Iraq. The kidnap occurred in broad daylight in central

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-67554729937332722432008-05-25T13:30:00.000-07:002008-05-25T14:12:41.449-07:00

Early in the decade Great Britain was at the forefront of the debate about the role and regulation of security contractors. The green paper exploring avenues for their regulation was entitled Private Military Companies: Options for Regulation, because Private Military Companies (PMCs) is an adequate term differentiating this type of firms from those offering soft services such as the guarding of

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5645045220111014258.post-26875544007694668552008-04-30T15:01:00.001-07:002008-04-30T15:01:06.991-07:00

Cerberus Capital Management could have invested $200 million for a stake in Blackwater, said a source close to the negotiations. Other sources said auditors from Cerberus had been examining Blackwater's books since the beginning of the year. Cerberus, which owns a controlling stake in Chrysler had been in negotiations to buy the controversial security firm Blackwater USA, which has millions of

PrivateMilitaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04606905907720792632noreply@blogger.com0