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Private military contractors

A boy walks near a Soviet-era apartment building, with a tank in the foreground

Is the US ready for the rising tide of mercenaries?

Military

War is getting sneakier. And mercenaries could be changing war in ways that the US might not be prepared for.

The ruins of a bombed base in Iraq.

US responds to deadly attack at Iraq base

Conflict & Justice
A contractor walks between trucks

Who are the private contractors fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan? An inside look at this invisible military force.

A private security guard stands at the front entrance of the American Embassy building in Iraq inside the green zone in Baghdad in 2004.

Blackwater guards were not well-liked even by other Americans in Iraq — but they faced real dangers

Justice

Spain may finally get to see a finished version of Gaudí’s famous church — in Finland

Global Scan
The World

Sale of Controversial Security Firm Xe Securities Imminent

Business, Economics and Jobs

Erik D. Prince, founder of private security firm Xe Services ? formerly Blackwater Worldwide ? has reached a deal to sell his company to a small group of investors in California. Blackwater became the center of a debate about using private security firms in foreign wars after an alleged skirmish between insurgents and Blackwater personnel […]

Calls for Tighter Restrictions on Contractors in Iraq

Global Politics

A UN group suggests that Iraqi officials put tighter restrictions on contractors.

The World

US to Hire 5,000 Contractors to Protect Americans in Iraq

Conflict & Justice

The State Department announced it will hire over 5,000 private security contractors to protect military hardware and diplomats who will remain in the country. Reporter Nathan Hodge says there’s more than one way you can solve this problem.

United Arab Emirates Hires Blackwater Founder

Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater Worldwide has found work for his new company, Reflex Responses, helping to build a mercenary army for the United Arab Emirates. There are questions about the legality about such a project –  an American training foreign soldiers without the U.S.’s approval.  Kateri Carmola, an associate professor of political philosophy at Middlebury […]

Contaminated Water

Soldiers in Iraq may have been exposed to polluted water, a company whistleblower says, causing a number of mysterious illnesses among troops.