Conservatism: anything for a buck.
Being a conservative is never having to be responsible.
7
Trump is crazy enough to go for Eric Prince's proposal.
Let's hope Mattis and Congress will reject such a lunatic plan.
9
Great idea, but let the Afghans hire him.
2
This is another good reason to vote straight blue.
14
I figure the NYT won't let this one fly, but I'll try anyway:
I disagree with the majority of the commenters in here regarding whether Americans should be armed, and it has everything to do with this family and its ilk (and most of the NRA). These absolutely can NOT be the only people and only bodies who are armed and fortified, under a barbarous and volatile administration such as that with which we are currently plagued.
If I had to point to very tangible circumstances and reasons that I think it is completely irresponsible for poor and working people to not be armed--and fortified--right now in this country, the DeVos family, and obviously Erik Prince (and everything he does and aspires to) specifically are the first--and closest--thing I am pointing to...
12
In the meeting of the Five Families in "The Godfather" they all sat around discussing how they would distribute the heroin in the "colored" neighborhoods because "those people are animals, they have no souls". Pretty much sums up American foreign policy and the Republicans can't wait to start applying the same at home.
13
Beneath contempt and apparently incapable of shame.
Prince's gang of thugs -- aka Blackwater -- repeatedly violated all sorts of laws (including international law) and even killed innocent people and somehow mostly skated free. And Prince got VERY rich!
Now, he's advocating for a private mercenary army, which will be every bit as lawless as Blackwater, and cost US taxpayers $millions! He should be laughed out of any meeting he tries to hold!
And don't forget that his sister, Betsy DeVos, is busy trying to trash public education, in order to provide windfall deals for corrupt for-profit colleges and schools!
What a destructive pair! A sad, sad commentary of the state of things under Trump!
20
30 to 40 deaths a day. Do the math, that's far worse than Vietnam. Sky-high desertion rates. How is privatizing the war going to change any of that? After 17 years, the Afghanis vote with their hearts and minds. For reasons that are unfathomable to a Western mind, they actually prefer the Taliban to us.
If Prince wants to privatize the effort, he needs to be financially responsible for the deaths of his mercenaries, as well as any damage they inflict on civilian non-combatants. I think that'll put a kibosh to the business plan. Imagine paying the family of a dead privatized soldier a quarter million dollars a day, multiply that by forty. Ten million dollars a day, almost 4 billion a year. Bye-bye profits, all of a sudden the lofty goals of supporting the Afghanis and liberating the women from Islamic fundamentalism doesn't sound so enticing anymore. Does it, Mr. War Criminal Prince?
14
Rare earths are anything but rare. They're all over the globe, including the US. Why import them from China? Because extracting rare earths is an impossibly dirty affair, and China doesn't really care as long as it can make a buck. It's almost as simple as that, because Prince will be able to buy his way to polluted streams in A'stan even more cheaply than in China.
6
Absurd. It is the return to privateering abolished two centuries ago. Mercenaries, however, are not allowed to participate in combat under current law of armed conflict. And in any case, workers from contractor firms are civilians and civilians are not legitimate to participate in combat.
4
We don't need to privatize war. We need to stop being in wars. If only we were advanced enough as human beings now to solve disputes without killing people.
7
Blackwater had an outstanding reputation as the security force for US State Dept officials. The problem with Prince’s plan is that the US will have to pay for it.
My guess is that he won’t even employ Americans but rather third world nationals. Nor will he even pay taxes on his profits. The company would be off-shore and he has taken residence in Dubai.
9
Meanwhile, we have the fossilized dinosaur John Bolton declaring that the International Court of Justice is “dead to us”. Forget his complete lack of statesmanship. As we privatize our military we can’t have any part of an organization that tries to hold it accountable. Deep state indeed.
9
I wonder how many tax laws this rapacious family has broken to acquire their great fortune!
The IRS only goes after people who can't afford expensive lawyers because they don't have the time or inclination to bother the 1% in their pursuit of wealth and power!
8
I was watching a C-SPAN series which featured the tumultuous year of 1968 in conferences interpreting that year from various partisan perspectives. One of the conferences, featuring old lefties from academia and underground newspapers in Chicago, which was held at the Medill School old Journalism at Northwestern University. They proudly proclaimed the elimination of the draft was one of their lasting and most influential achievements. But there is unfortunately a historical continuity between President Richard Nixon who replaced the draft with a lottery to defuse the anti-war protesters that evolved into our volunteer armed forces, and now Erik Prince’s attempt to privatize the war In Afghanistan with corporate mercenaries. Th endless war In Afghanistan has surpassed the war in Vietnam, which used to hold the dubious distinction of being the longest war in our nation’s history and in which I served as a medical corpsman. Now the wars in Afghanistan and in Iraqi, along with our interventions in the civil wars in Syria, Libya, Yemen, etc. are major foreign policy debacles. Civilians no longer have any skin in the game. They are like fans at a football game sitting in the bleachers while the real drama of shared sacrifice is being played down on the field. As with President Donald Trump, Prince is more of a symptom of our decline as a representative democracy. Instead of just criticizing Prince, we should take a look in the mirror of how we got here to this point in our history.
9
One grossly wealthy family, who are fighting on two fronts to privatize and make for-profit, the two endeavors for which privatization and the for-profit impulse mean the most disastrous consequences--education and war...
21
Autocracy in the flesh, stalking opportunities of advantage.
Erik Prince, spokesMAN for the New Feudalism!
Disgusting.
25
The Caesars had private armies; eventually went to war with one another. Rome fell, destroyed from within. Prince is tailor made for a president who considers himself above the law, surrounds himself with sycophants including a Supreme Court nominee-soon-to-be-Justice more than willing not just to agree with him, but to keep him there. At what point do the American people begin to realize that militarized police forces, including those deployed against immigrants now, may be deployed against all and every citizen who refuses to submit to this protection racket?
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@James Sterling
"The Caesars had private armies"?
I take your overall point but your history is faulty.
Roman armies were raised by various means and often partly paid for by the general / consul / dictator leading the legion(s), in part because of anticipated plunder (which both leader and soldiers profited from). But "the Caesars" did nothing that prior or later Roman grandees didn't do.
1
So the REAL deal here is to sneak in Chinese troops? Does China share a border with Afghanistan?
4
Prince is there because rare earth elements are there. There is real money to be made their if he can put himself in a position to exploit this. All the rest is secondary. It makes sense to see Trump's interest in the prolonged, many think pointless, US presence in Afghanistan as effort to exploit the country's valuable natural resources.
25
Rare earths are anything but rare. They're all over the globe, including the US. Why import them from China? Because extracting rare earths is an impossibly dirty affair, and China doesn't really care as long as it can make a buck. It's almost as simple as that.
4
To what extent does Erik Prince-of-Darkness influence his equally sinister sister, our Secretary of Education Elizabeth de Vos? How many kids will she be able to funnel into the mercenary machine's maw whenever they can't hack our schools?
22
It's nice that EP mentioned in his letter to the Afghans that is his sister is in Trumps' orbit (cabinet..same thing): he should've also mentioned that her husband is part of the Amway scheme and that the Afgans can also get cleaning products probably on the cheap.
22
Say it loud and say it clear. Russia learned that you cannot remake Afghanistan (especially with the US funding opposition terrorism). How long will it take the US to learn that lesson? How many billions will be poured into a long failed military escapade in this country that deserves to resolve its own political problems. Do we need to bring the death toll to 3 million, like we insisted on doing in Vietnam?
16
I'm in Afghanistan, not military, not embassy, but as a private sector American businessman with 9 years of experience here. This is an absolutely crazy idea and will never be accepted by the vast majority of the Afghans I know. Nor, frankly, is a continuation of the same military posture that has failed to result in an end of now 17 years of war. The only real solution is a negotiated settlement. Afghanistan has changed, in many ways for the better, as there is a new generation that will not accept the Taliban ways as before. It's time to give this negotiation a real chance to succeed, fair to all, ensuring that the real progress that has come to this country will continue. Everyone here is tired and all they want is peace. Killing our way to victory hasn't worked for all these years and Prince's solution is more of the same.
34
Putin's plan. Inspired by the likes of Prince, Russia set up a mercenary force fighting around the world now, mixing commerce and war (i.e. receiving oil wells or mines) for its work. On the other hand they hire poor unemployed men, who don't even need to be compensated in case of death, since they are not officially soldiers. Would not be surprised if Trump agrees to do something like that letting US reputation fall further.
13
Hey, here's a thought. Rather than weaponizing public school teachers, let's have Ed Sec Betsy DeVos bring in her brother Erik and his band of mercenaries to establish military command centers at elementary, secondary and high schools around our nation. (Okay, it smacks of nepotism, but that hasn't stopped The Donald from bringing his family and friends into the White House.)
13
Erik Prince is a ruthlessly amoral war criminal. But in our culture he is admired for being rich, riches which spring directly from his crimes. In a rational society he would be confined in a maximum security prison for life along with his execrable comrade-in-arms, Richard Bruce Cheney.
31
Actually, this make sense under the Trump Presidency. Trump has been announcing to all of our allies (former allies) that they will have to start paying more for us to protect them. Why not give it all over to the mercenaries? That way Trump could continue to rake in cash. Take the U.S. out of the buy-a-soldier equation.
As a nation we help to protect others nations because it is in our best interests to do so. We want those countries as a buffer between us and the first wave of boots on the ground heading our way. When there is war, we want our allies on our side.
If we act as mere mercenaries, then when we do need allies, either side-by-side on the field/air/sea or as sources of information, we will not be able to call on allies because we will have none. They will simply be former customers who cannot really trust us. Mercenaries go to the highest bidder and will turn their weapons around quickly when offered more money to do so. Is that what we have become?
10
Nasty war lover might think about suiting up and getting in the fray himself. He seems unable to get enough killing, and money, under his belt.
13
America should pat President Ghani on the back, wish him luck, and GET OUT. Ultimately, civilization will arrive in Afghanistan, and when it does, we can exchange ambassadors.
9
Outrageous! Betsy privatizing education and Erik privatizing the American military......for the almighty dollar. Reckoning in 2018!
23
Neo-colonialism is alive and well, apparently.
This man has no respect for the Afghan democratic process and their right to self determination. And it's also obvious one of his main goal is to plunder the limited ressrouces of the country for his own personal gain (and maybe that of the US, but certainly not of the Afghan).
10
I am confident that Mr. Prince will do for Afghanistan what Ms. DeVos has done (and will continue to do) for American public education. Perhaps 'confident' is not the best choice of words, but in a world of alternative facts where "...the truth is not the truth," it's the best I can do on short notice.
The concept of public service on behalf of the wealthy and privileged in our country, in return for what the country has made possible for them, is taking on a whole new meaning moving forward. We have gone from the likes of General Marshall and George Kennan to this.
20
Erik Prinz with a private US taxpayer funded army. What could go wrong? Oliver North's greatest fantasy.
30
Anyone else notice that the Heroin epidemic started immediately after the US invaded the country that produced 90% of the opium supply to the world?
Coincidence, right?
22
Between Erik and Betsy DeVos it makes you miss the days of Fitzgerald when the spoiled rich drank their days away and went on chaperoned Africa hunts for a sense of adventure.
22
And so, right on cue, Ms De Vos' brother arrives with Mr Trumps' own personal SS. Wonder how long before Mr Prince trains his private autocrat's army on American citizens in blue states....while the Republican congress and the newly minted uber-right Supreme Court look the other way?
Oh yeah...it's already happening...they call it ICE...
34
I do believe that this man headed the company that brought shame to the United States and whose actions were so grievous that they were thrown out of Iraq. Think about that.
If the Afghans themselves want to hire Mr. Prince then they can feel free to do so, but I would advise against it.
14
If the Afghanistan government needs to be protected by foreign mercenaries, shouldn't it be the Afghanistan government and not the US taxpayers who pay for those troops?
15
" Small teams of Special Forces veterans embedded with Afghan battalions for about three years, he said, would ensure the continuity lacking now with American soldiers rotating out every year."
US forces under the Commander of a mercenary force while he makes profits!
It is a 'snake oil' plan to con public.
24
Erik Prince has been working hard to get the franchise from Trump for a year. Now, he's trying to woo this bought Congress for the rights to Afghanistan. To those who may not know, Prince is the brother of Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.
The headline in late August was:
Faced with opposition, Erik Prince shops his plan for Afghanistan
A year after the Trump administration rejected the Blackwater founder’s plan to replace most U.S. troops in Afghanistan with private contractors — an idea roundly criticized by the defense and foreign policy establishment — he’s back trying to sell his plan to President Trump.
Oligarchies work like mafias. Deals take time. The right terms must be agreed to. In this ethics-challenged administration, it's only a matter of time before Trump sells Prince the rights to a foreign nation.
Disgusting.
---
Things Trump did while you weren't looking
https://wp.me/p2KJ3H-2ZW
31
Spinning off the Afghan war. Now that's a progressive idea if there ever was one. Interesting but with dangerous implications. Very expensive and will not succeed. But the US could withdraw with dignity if that is important to some. Afghanistan has never been governed, from inside or outside, as a united nation. Perhaps it can be effectively governed by a corporation. "Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History" by Thomas Barfield offers a thorough and complete understanding of Afghanistan for anyone desperate to learn more. He is an anthropologist and has worked in Afghanistan since the seventies. "Caravans: A Novel of Afghanistan" by Michener is brilliant historical fiction and a short read.
6
Erik Prince is busy setting up his secret intelligence gathering service that reports directly to the president, funded through private donors. Anyone else scared by this?
55
There are many reasons why the privatization of the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan is a flawed concept and this NYT article cites several of these. However, the most important one by far is lack of accountability. Who will be responsible for command and control of Prince's Army, and what if his private force veers into unauthorized action or areas? Who will stop them and at what cost? That's exactly what happened in Iraq, and there is no way to avoid that potential pitfall from occurring again. Prince makes many arguments on why his proposal will be militarily effective or will be more cost efficient, but the clear and overwhelming reason it cannot work is that the U.S. Government and the U.S. military will not have 100% command and control over the Prince Force. This condition alone is more than sufficient to undermine the viability of the proposal, and makes clear we cannot place the responsibility for conducting war and safeguarding our allies' security with hired guns.
24
The Industrial Military For Profit Complex is alive and well in the form of Blackwater and its founder, the brother of Sec of Ed Betsy DeVos.
31
Ineteresting article. As an aside, one has to wonder, who are these 20,000 private troops that Blackwater hires. Americans? anyone?
10
they tend to be ex-US military, looking for higher pay
5
@Alexia US ex military, right white South Africans, Ghaneans, Filipinos and Columbians. Prince is so naive in his evangelical warring crusader efforts to fill his coffers.
3
@Kessler He is also busy in little skirmishes in Mocambique .
1
If i was president of Afghanistan I would have him arrested and thrown in jail for interfering in national elections. Imagine if a mercenary general traveled our country appealing to local politicians to allow his private army to make millions from engaging in a civil war!
67
We should not forget that Prince proposed a private mercenary military last year, and as recently as this past August Trump was considering it. This force would bypass the military entirely and report only to the president. Prince was also reported to have proposed a private spy network for U.S. intelligence. I cannot imagine the damage that a president such as Trump would do with his own private military or spy network. The U.S. has become one of the greediest countries in the world, with every government service paid for by our taxes for sale to the highest bidder. It should be readily apparent to anyone except Republicans that when 30% of your tax dollars go to for-profit corporations, you will get less for your money. Most corporations are no more efficient than goverment agencies (defense excepted!). As we have seen with the private prison corporations, they make money starving and mistreating prisoners. In Betsy DeVos’s Michigan, for-profit education companies decimated public education, turning a relatively high performing state into one of the lowest performing states in a matter of years. Republicans have introduced House bill 610 to in their latest attempt to turn education into a profit center. Why do voters support this nonsense?
52
Afghanistan is just a pile of rocks which certainly does not merit or deserve any saving grace from The United States of America.
Private industry and private enterprise always do any job better, more economically and more efficiently than any national government.
Mr. Prince has a rational plan. His plan should b employed with the aim of finally getting ALL American, NATO and any other Allied nation's troops out of Afghanistan. Afghanistan should be left to the Afghanis. Period.
1
I'm afraid that I remember the earlier bad old days of Erik Prince's mercenaries--no oversight, no accountability, massacres of civilians. No thanks.
31
@Reggie Your comment is so full of misinformation, I don't know where to begin. Private industry and enterprise DO NOT "always do the job better". Take a look at the privatized prison system in America. Far from being "just a pile of rocks" Afghanistan carries strategic importance for the United States. Leaving Afghanistan would permit the surrounding nations to prop up the Taliban and destabilize the pro-American government in Kabul. Prince's plan is anything but rational. Prince's plan is to exploit the area for profit. You should do your homework.
10
It’s all about the money. The death and devastation that is caused by the continuation of this war for profit doesn’t matter to Mr. Prinz. The privatization of the defense department is against everything for which the Constitution stands.
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