Friday, July 22, 2005

Mercenaries for Peace

Imagine you found a group whose mission statement said the following
"non-profit organization of companies, individuals and non-governmental organizations which provide services related to conflict alleviation and avoidance, post-conflict reconstruction, and emergency humanitarian rescue worldwide. ....committed to working with policy-makers in government and opinion leaders internationally to improve the climate for peace, and to raise the profile and acceptance of association members in the world foreign policy community....violent, low-intensity conflicts around the world are among the most serious challenges facing the foreign policy community in the 21st century. Innocent civilians are overwhelmingly the victims in these conflicts."

Would you think it was an organization like Doctors without Borders or the International Committee of the Red Cross? Maybe it's a French NGO?
Actually, it's a lobbying group for private military companies. Its members include Armor Group and Blackwater USA.
Oh my eyes!! Did black just become white?
Well I guess if today's military forces don't want to train for peacekeeping operations or guerrilla warfare, who are you going to call? These guys?
Their code of conduct states that members are required to provide insurance for their employees. Will this group lobby congress for VA benefits for their employees when insurance becomes too expensive?
Maybe I'm being a cynic and I think it's just a PR effort to soften the image of these companies.

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