Erik Prince | Full Address and Q&A | Oxford Union

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Erik Prince is an American businessman and former U.S. Navy SEAL officer best known for founding the government services and security company Blackwater USA, now known as Academi. He served as its CEO until 2009 and later as chairman, until Blackwater Worldwide was sold in 2010 to a group of investors. Prince currently heads the private equity firm Frontier Resource Group and is chairman of Hong Kong-listed Frontier Services Group Ltd. He lives in both Middleburg, Virginia and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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[@priestofpartagas]

A real American hero. Excellent presentation! 👏

[@theduke6174]

This is probably the most important presentation in the business world.

[@elarby5027]

No fc 📌💎💎💵💰🛢

[@alexandraedwards7315]

Dang! I think all along I've misunderstood both Erik Prince and Blackwater. Thanks a lot media. Thanks to whomever is responsible for arranging his talk and explanation, and sharing it for us to watch. I really liked the walk thru history, and the briefing of the many times and ways we hired contractors.

[@Crackshotsteph]

The Media loves Conflict and chaos too, it keeps people wanting to watch more of their programs anything to get the ratings cause they ain't really doing so well lately. They laying off a lot of people.

[@paladro]

bruh, he's a chrisian zealot and mercenary scumbag... lets not pretend anything else, you can wash his feet and tickle his balls, but he's a murderer for money and he's a megaolomaniac at heart.

[@83joonior]

NO! He's a piece of shit that doesn't respect common law and for damn sure doesn't respect the Geneva Convention. He's a leach that encourages conflict otherwise his army of thugs wouldn't have a job. FUCK ERIK PRINCE

[@573129]

I like this guy, he was committed to his business goals but delivering the BEST!!

[@allanmedrano3278]

Got bless Erik Prince 🇺🇸

[@kinghotrod]

Watch his interview on The Shawn Ryan Show podcast.

[@Maykr__]

"The workers pretended to work, and the government pretended to pay them." LOL

[@jaikumarjadhav6575]

Really important to understand the contribution of Private Sector in the history and how it has shaped the World as it is today...

[@MMoturi22]

Except Erik Prince is a top tier example of the downsides of privatization. They had a whole war criminal to give an address.

[@annjuurinen6553]

The private sector leaders also used to work for a dollar a day during the Second World War. Often making huge personal sacrifices in order to win against the Nazis. Now there is a totally different response. "What kind of profit can I derive from this?" from the private sector poisons civil discourse, and government efficacy.

[@brettsilk2601]

Even back over thousand years ago mercenaries were available.

[@nuqwestr]

@thematic El Cid, worked for both Christians and Muslims, 11th Century Spain.

[@MrSmudge8712]

@thematic and both professions go hand in hand.

[@grande8938]

@@nuqwestr Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar you say?

[@Polumetis]

A very interesting speech. Cheers to Oxford for making this happen.

[@hassandaib1521]

The Rightful King of Finland Aljazeera

[@simonreilly9447]

Exactly the sort of speaker Oxford should have. Challenging and relevant

[@purest4233]

watch your back

[@adrianthornton8288]

ahj71 +1

[@hishonoursirdrinksalot1916]

Bit late on this but the audience are the type of people who vote Labour, they cannot comprehend warfare and cost because they are Students. He would have been better at Sandringham.

[@hishonoursirdrinksalot1916]

@@pinkle257 Failed? Oh dear boy it is exactly what we wanted, who is best placed to profit from volatility?

[@cameronhayes113]

Brilliant talk, highly relevant and very well executed!

[@rustyjohnson5018]

Cameron Hayes I've heard better telemarketers.

[@pikachuuprising637]

"Well executed" like the civilians killed by Blackwater

[@assimonem1189]

I am Impressed With this guy's insight-we should have people like him in real power. He is intelligent and he is fit as well. I may have dismissed him- but I am glad that I listened first. Much better than the professional Politic.

[@MOOSEDOWNUNDER]

The Piracy did not end because of 500 Somali police, it ended because of armed guards being placed on merchant vessels repealing the pirates on a daily basis.

[@elarby5027]

تبا لك انتم تنهبون البلاد amrkano fc you

[@paullangton-rogers2390]

Some ex-SAS guys moved into the private sector providing security on ships. The book by Big Phil ex-SAS tells how restricted they were in that role in the early days. No arms even. He literally had to spray and bash pirates trying to board his ship armed with AK-47's and RPG's with a fire spray and improvised weapons, whatever was to hand. At one point he picked up a small fridge and threw it on 3 pirates heads lol.

[@Hugh-Glass]

No questions, no bureaucracy, no bullshit. Words to strive for and better yet, live by.

[@andrewarthurmatthews6685]

What a fascinating speaker who delivered a superb lecture on something ! So I followed his reasoning on the use of private mercenaries to get jobs done but was there more ? Anyway he spoke clearly and was obviously at the top of his game.

[@dougdownunder5622]

Question. Who would you say is more transparent about their work/life history? Politicians or this bloke?

[@Dueilangoisseus]

Varies wildly from politician to politician. Also varies wildly from country to country.

[@bullterror5]

Ask him about the Cocaine, then ask that question..

[@bullterror5]

@VeniVidiViral No I'm talking about him

[@octane8267]

Thomas Michael Hoare did the same; fraught someone else's war back in the 60's & 70's

[@co6742]

@@bullterror5 fam what are you even talking about?

[@stephenclemente2122]

Frontier Services, (Prince and Hong Kong) now has a base in Xinjiang province.

[@MyNguyen-ek5kx]

Outstanding conversation!

[@wesking2973]

Very interesting to hear this perspective from Mr. Prince. A variety of critiques be offered. At this point, I am content to absorb the information and evaluate. This serves as a data point for future evaluation. This was an informative piece. I do have distinct value judgements on the nature of the presentation, it's underlying premise, and the moral framework it, but I will not share them here at this time.

[@pimplepickerton]

It's been 4 years. When do you plan on sharing?

[@Getvagazzled]

Nobody cares

[@pattyscabby3972]

The “modern” mindset has difficulty grasping the effectiveness of talent.

[@spencernelson1560]

Amen

[@bullterror5]

😂🤣😂 Stop worshipping that Pseudo Intellectual Gibberish that does not actually make any sense if you think about it longer than 0.45 Micro Seconds... On a side note, he seems to really like PowerPoint Presentations...

[@IamDoogy]

Bull Terror Can you give us a link to your speech at the Oxford Union… Or your local school board? I’m really interested in your opinion.

[@paullangton-rogers2390]

Exactly. But this concept of private military contracting is centuries old, and worked very well in the past. British East India Company. Nobody likes not having tea or sugar lol. And who can argue that India as a continent wasn't left in much better shape in 1947 when Britain pulled out and India gained independence...massive infrastructure development, railroads, roads, schools, courts, private and private and public financed and run well at the local level. The Indian ocean and vital trade routes from east to west guarded by the largest private navy and army in the world. Same in Africa...Cecil Rhodes De Beers Mining Company that colonised and ran large areas of Africa with private military and police and invested heavily in infrastructure including the then largest railway that linked South Africa to Egypt and Middle East...he said, "the British government and British public like the benefits of Empire and trade, without having to foot the bill". The only difference today, is the ethics and morality of it. We're not in the Empire building business, we just want stable functional countries, and an end to human misery and suffering, and a more stable world for everyone. It's just a means to an end. If we keep throwing aid (or lending money) at these countries its an endless cycle of poverty, debt, corruption and power vacuums for rogue regimes and terrorism.

[@hulkangry5546]

@@bullterror5 Only if you stop drinking the kool-aid.

[@mikemcfarthing3499]

Articulate and compelling points to consider for managing costs (people and resources) and ongoing insurgencies.

[@tomm7829]

Much Respect

[@seanjenkins6947]

Why do I get metal gear vibes whenever this guys speaks, guns of the patriots 🤣

[@bullterror5]

Because he would probably hire you based on your Gaming Stats 😂

[@speedking7224]

Guy is a real life metal gear villain. Wouldn't be surprised to see him commandeering some weird bipedal tank in the near future.

[@sungukyun2608]

@@speedking7224 Villain? The only Villain is the US government.

[@speedking7224]

@@sungukyun2608 I mean this guy fights for money besides he's American too. But yeah the US government is the bigger villain

[@JFK762]

Honestly after reading over Eddie Gallaghers story, I see Blackwater in a different perspective now. The government is always going to protect their own institutions.

[@paullangton-rogers2390]

And the media factors into this..they spun stories around Blackwater, these gun-ho guys etc and that's bad politically..what the media didn't tell folks, and what Wikileaks did, the exact same isolated incidents happened in the US and UK military. Mistakes happened or some soldiers lacked disciplined, made mistakes, and in some cases soldiers did some very bad things. It happens in war zones. The public can't get their heads around a private contracted military company taking on the role of conventional army forces and think it's job for the State..but as Eric said and as we know from this talk, that doesn't work and is costly. Private military contracting is not a new concept. It's been going on for centuries. People seem to forget the British East India Company had the largest private army and navy in the world. And for a long time it functioned very well ensuring a stable continent and kept trade flowing from East to West cost effectively on a continent the size of India..freeing up British military resources massively and keeping costs down.

[@amaansurani9579]

He got the real life James Bond personality

[@flyingphoenix113]

VERY interesting discussion. I *HIGHLY* recommend giving Mr. Prince the time of day. You don't have to agree with him. You just need to listen to him. He brings a unique, unorthodox perspective to the table on war, the cost of war, and the philosophy of war. And, since war isn't going anyway anytime soon, it's worth giving him a listen.

[@rubysmoke7150]

The talk is slick but the actions of this person are ugly and speak for themselves. Chris Hedges book American Fascists can give real facts about the Christian right and what their plans are for the future.

[@thebronzetoo]

Chris Hedges is a Commie shill.

[@flyingphoenix113]

Ruby Smoke, there are certainly those of the evangelical Christian variety who wish for an authoritarian theocracy, just as there people in this camp from virtually every major religion. But, most Christians (from my anecdotal experience in the southern US) wish for a secular government governed by principled individuals. That's why it's so important for politicians to talk about their religion, since most individuals derive the majority of their principles from religion, or their interpretation of religion thereof.

[@inferno0020]

I am not a full-liberal anti-war type of guy but this Erik Prince is a traitor that now works for China.

[@jonherrmann9772]

@investigator How can you say that when white people are not the only people who go to war

[@SrikanthRemani]

Remarkable Insights.

[@Camboge]

These private companies may have done some good things, but they were also used to battle against organized labor(pinkertons) and more recently to put down the water protectors at standing rock (tiger swan). The internal documents from tiger swan referred to us citizens as insurgents and enemy combatants. Do you want private corporations to be fielding their own special forces units on U.S. soil? Because it has already happened in that case at least. And let's not forget that we have private prisons in this country now as well. So if you dont agree with the Corporate powers that be and you are vocal about it you could very easily disappear without a trace , killed or held captive. Is this the nation that we want to leave to our kids? I for one do not like this at all.

[@somfplease]

Dude is spot on. Get out of the mideast and just have a few hundred well place spec ops and cia on the ground and when needed call in airtrikes. US will save countless billions.

[@oldandtiredshouldberetired3436]

But he's not asking to call in the CIA or special ops, he's asking to privatize and send in mercenaries. Did you know privatecontracting firms hire a lot of the troops from Uganda?

[@jjosephm7539]

somfplease I wanted this when the US was in Iraq. Have Iraqis soldiers and police walking through towns. When they need air support, call in the Air Force for assistance. The air bases can be in remote locations, away from cities.

[@BostonsF1nest]

Natalie Saad Lol did you not listen to his speech? Mercenaries are ppl who will fight for anyone so as long as you pay them. They have no national allegiance. Blackwater has ONlY dealt with the United States and ONLY hires former US military personnel who have a minimum of 8 years military experience. In other words, Blackwater only hires former special forces personnel- Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, Delta Force, etc. His company would never hire just some random guy off the street who knows how to load and fire a gun.

[@eyesthatsmile-heartthatlov8050]

@@BostonsF1nest bot

[@dmanvell]

If only. At this point normal folk are willingly goosestepping into this dystopian madness.

[@caesarshotdogchampion8738]

43:45 You could say he’s kinda curious

[@vqmaslow876]

Can anyone post a link to the power point slides?

[@pimplepickerton]

This man should be president!

[@pimplepickerton]

@@Anophthalmus_hitleri I would argue that his mental health is nowhere near as important as the good he could do in the country/world as president.

[@neeratron]

Thank you Oxford ..for bringing people like him and Steve Bannon, people you guys obviously don't agree with but nonetheless helps in bringing out alternate views of the world and society that the neo marxist media won't provide

[@williamforster9015]

You know, you just had to ruin it with the last part

[@simonbutelerdellepiane5564]

@@williamforster9015 Yeah, the definition of "marxism" seems to have shifted so much as to have no meaning now.

[@natejennings5884]

Years ago I would've thought of guys like Erik Prince in an extremely negative light. But, after learning more of what the U.N. has been up to and Biden's handling of Afghanistan, Erik Prince looks almost saintly in comparison. Most media are mere mouthpieces for globalists; Trotsky meets corpo interests.

[@WestcountryDude]

Captivating.

[@mkhi1830]

The historical research is really inspiring.

[@thebronzetoo]

OxfordUnion, is there anywhere to get a copy of his slide presentation?

[@elsebethlind1076]

The screen was to small for him

[@bullterror5]

"You've had an accident with the Curb..." What accident? I'm just waiting for a Mate...

[@basednigel]

incredible that this upload exists lol

[@YoungPatronsoyelChingon]

Why?

[@sanderlin4452]

Thanks again E.P. Cheers

[@rosskellynmoore4207]

This is a truly fascinating talk.

[@chanimarie6753]

From Erik Prince. I dont think theres anyone alive today more proficient in the art of warfare than Prince. He knows his stuff.

[@3mepleasenow]

Where do I sign?

[@AKlover]

50:00 mark he starts in on the F-35 while highlighting government waste and contractor profit margins! GREAT WAY TO END IT!!!!!

[@johnshorey6377]

Could revolutionize the way wars are fought. Less wasteful spending and less dead Americans on foreign battlefields.

[@rustyjohnson5018]

John Shorey Why are those battlefields necessary?

[@1337flite]

A sales/marketing deck being presented to the future leaders of the UK - money well spent PMC industry lobby groups

[@bt-os5oq]

You actually forget when he is talking that these people deal in war and conflict. He is such a good presenter he presents his trade to his audience like it's oil exploration or mining metal ore.

[@Hugh-Glass]

It's savvy the way he does that...and everything else.

[@paullangton-rogers2390]

Yes but it's a war that's necessary and/or decided at the State policy making level. The question is who fights it. How, and how much it costs the State. Not whether to fight it. What does it matter whether it's a regulated/monitored private contractor or the States military? There's some overlap, but the goal is doing it effectively in operations and cost terms. It's the same with our healthcare system and even postal system, huge loss making orgs drags on our economy..doesn't work. Put parts of it into private sector and do it on a proper business footing and it works. Case in point Royal Mail now run efficiently and profitable in private sector for the first time in its 300+ year history. It's no different with military contracting. Some things are better done by private enterprise under government contracts. Private militrary contracting is not a radical new concept, it's been going on for centuries.

[@bt-os5oq]

@@paullangton-rogers2390 but who says it's a needed war? Who tells us that? They do.

[@blin1776]

Very fucking good Q&A. Interesting insight from Mr. Prince.

[@cbskwkdnslwhanznamdm2849]

Well said

[@pholland365]

Love this guy ! I wish he would run for President

[@T800System]

39:17 - I think he just unwittingly described the motivations of his own organisation.

[@Balrog304]

Excelllent!

[@aliabbasi697]

Did anyone get his explanation of Halliburton?

[@davidsea1482]

Great speech, I am so much wiser for this.

[@laurelweiner8]

excellent

[@magururura1452]

The answer to the Aid question at 50:57 makes perfect sense.

[@ac1dP1nk]

Maguru Rura hardly he is recounting his anecdotes, which is the main appeal of this talk as a whole, the charismatic recollection of his life experience. While entertaining, that is no basis for effective development in a disaster zone that is much of the african continent.

[@CastleVaniak]

Of course. he wants those farmers to purchase seeds from his fellow corporate buddies at Bayer (Monsanto) so they end up shackled to a contract to a foreign company

[@adik4309]

Doing great job in Afghanistan..without their presence all those years of turmoil and war would fall down and turn the place into a lawless rogue state...AGAIN.

[@janjan55555]

The sarcasm is dripping off this comment :) Yeah NATO did a wonderful job in Afghanistan, which is why they can't even beat Taliban.

[@janjan55555]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAH My big ass! They couldn't beat Taliban at all! The only reason they are still there is to extract resources from the resource filled Helmand province! LOL "beat" Taliban?! good one! For every one you kill there are 10+ people willing to step up and avenge their fallen! This is a war you can't win, unless you NUKE afghanistan, which will NEVER happen unless you want to give Russia/China/India/Pakistan a pretext to use their weapons!

[@janjan55555]

Keep dreaming Richy, keep dreaming! :)

[@trashcustrashford9001]

@Rich 91 yeah about that

[@janjan55555]

@Rich 91 Russia hates NATO (US commands NATO) more than anything! So keep dreaming, Afghanistan costs US billions of precious dollars, Russia merely watches from the sides laughing at US'military incompetency.

[@lazarus_8589]

See lots of people saying very different things about him, but with little evidence to back their claims. Can anybody show me what they think of him and support it with evidence? Private military is very interesting, but seems like it could go wrong very fast.

[@purest4233]

everyone is just in a bandwagon someone made allegations now they must be true LOL

[@oldandtiredshouldberetired3436]

Look up Blackwater scandal on Google. Erik Prince was in charge.

[@BRockandriffs]

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisour_Square_massacre I think he is an awful person due to massacres like this occurring under his command. Read the references at the bottom of the article if you want to learn more. In a more general sense it is important to be at least wary of hiring mercenary armies because their entire business model is predicated on war never stopping.

[@Silly.Old.Sisyphus]

the perfect speaker for Oxford

[@Orfeo68]

LOL

[@smjhobbies4527]

Erik Prince for president

[@jpartin3471]

One of the most interesting take-aways' I noticed is that Oxford students are not all that bright...or so it would seem?

[@wolfgaenger]

Excellent.

[@captainkellwalker6302]

How do I contact Eric Prince?

[@noorgul7647]

Hi where are you from?

[@martinvalentine9228]

The east India company developed trade? Thats one way of saying it I suppose. Another would be that they stole local resources & people for their own profit under license from London, would be a more accurate way though.

[@moviedude22]

He had to pause and think rather deeply about what it actually is he does for a living

[@martinsinclair55]

Got an email address for HR at Wagner Group?

[@Wuselol]

He definitely brings up some valid points, but never trust the private sector to do a "good" job when they cna do a bad job at the expense of disenfranchised, voiceless people and earn more through it

[@jimzo1985]

very interesting could listen for hours , he speaks well just like he runs his business no unecesary shit just facts .

[@JohnnySplendid]

Eat shit, bootlicker

[@mahjabeenmalik5306]

true he went to Iraq,Afghanistan and other Muslim countries and killed many.I wonder what would he think if a muslim guy makes just a military like this?

[@Noisyrilo]

Justin S stfu pussy

[@melissahahn4779]

Why is he still selling “services” he said he sold out of? Why is he not talking about food delivery services in South & Central America?

[@3mepleasenow]

Any questions?

[@louwvandermerwe178]

Eisenhower warned about the military industrial complex!

[@egolightly]

Scary stuff. This is Betsy Devoss' brother. Niether he or she have any higher education past private highscool. From extremely affluent background using resources to create a need for their services, nepotism, political connections all while profiting. Something doesn't feel right.

[@marylousherman5471]

Yeah....that ultra Christian background kicked in for a reason to go after Muslims in the early 2000's, didn't it Eric. I wouldn't trust him or his sister to do anything really humane for people because of the ultra Christian filter....there's a lot he's leaving out here.

[@Kunizuka]

"I operate a grocery business" Yeah, if that grocery store delivers attack helicopters, direct action operators and cyberwarfare teams to Syria and Libya lmao -- all of which in the past 2-3 years.

[@elarby5027]

Yas is 👌💯😂

[@merriferrell2818]

Mr. Mercenary tells us stories

[@Agfoketman]

Great Stuff!

[@basedviet]

An American hero and patriot

[@gguthinger]

Spot on in 2024

[@EasyTiger.01343]

For a guy who claims to have quit the world of PMCs and is now focusing on logistics and delivering groceries, his slideshow took an interesting turn.

[@peppipepp6855]

he operates out of Malta he picked a diffrent path now?.

[@STEVEVARVOUNIS]

Erik for president

[@peterclark4685]

Private units do not attract the full jingoistic response either. I suggest to the USA to redesign one particular building into the triptagon and the duotagon and allow them to bid against each other. Might want to build a wall at each end because stupid is an airborne disease.

[@moviedude22]

"The Scariest man I ever met in my life" - Member of congressional oversight committee

[@purest4233]

rich, contacts, ex special forces and part of the cia assassination program. I guarantee he could kill her and get away from it.

[@chasm351]

The only ones thanking Trump for "the light" are in the Tiki Torch industry.

[@yadadoo20]

@maria gabrielle the same general Flynn who pleased guilty for lying to the FBI. Yeah of course people like you support criminals.

[@mauroortiz9180]

@@purest4233 who Hillary, Pelosi or Pocahantas Warren?

[@Johnconno]

Members of Congress aren't noted for their personal courage or experience of violence. X

[@nico-zt9od]

If some progress was ever made in Iraq and Afghanistan is thanks to this guy.

[@TK-qc9kp]

Those who came out of Cofers..persuasion..see the world in a different spectrum. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Politics aside they try to make changes, in an ever changing world. Progress makes many waves.

[@grnhrntskato]

Isn't it interesting that the government of USA is looking to get out of Syria and Afghanistan asap. It is too expensive in dollars and American lives and the cost benefit ratio is not at all viable. The hard truth is nobody does anything that does not benefit them in some way. Even if it's just a warm fuzzy feeling of helping an elderly lady through the doors at the mall. A lot of people in and out of government benefit greatly from conflict around the world. Contractors do what they are asked and it saves a lot of money and they volunteer to take those jobs. A 19 year old kid from middle USA joins the military and goes where he is told. He may not do his best because he does not believe in the mission and simply wants to go home. Let him. Send the people who want to be there, will work hard and show initiative to be innovative and efficient.

[@oldandtiredshouldberetired3436]

It's insulting to say that our leaders in the various branches of service are not understanding what to do. He said himself that the CIA took in groups of special forces and made headway. The military fully understood how to accomplish this with the CIA. So why would we want some contracting firm who hires those who retired from special forces, or left for more money, or were let go? Why not get the best and the brightest. Sure we pay more to pay them less. But isn't this because companies loose money on some contracts in order to make money on others? In all these years private security firms have fanned out across the globe as powerhouses. Logistics firms the leeches on the victims? There is no doubt we have more unrest in the world the bigger private contracting gets, because there's only so much room for growth in these industries. Our military and CIA are perfectly capable of doing their jobs and they don't need someone who proved he wasn't capable of leading already telling them they're not.

[@astronikolai6910]

Erik Prince is super wrong on the F-35 other than that he nailed it.

[@fairnessequality4532]

Is all about money for this guy !

[@nathanaelmukyanga3866]

Fairness Equality yeah true .Blood money

[@Pompeiusxx83]

Why didn't you mention that Kosciusko was from Poland?Don't tell me Erik you didn't know that...

[@AndreAndFriends]

You're right. 4min 30sec.

[@arnoldoxenschwanz1385]

They are ashamed to admit that one of their greatest commanders was a Polack.

[@MrAussieJules]

of course he knew... the name says it all. Americans also know lafayette was from France. They essentially helped the uSA against a domineering UK at the time. Then in ww1 and ww2, the USA helped Europe.

[@gordonferrar7782]

Insecurity central-Polska.

[@dougdownunder5622]

Its not because we are not spending enough. Spot on

[@tobir693]

The biggest takeaway I have from this is that -say what you will about greed of private enterprise- private enterprise knows the actual issues, and what will make the lived really better. Politicians have to say what sounds good (giving free stuff) because it makes the people feel good. Whereas the contractors knows what is the actual problem and doesn't have to care about some random vegan gluten-free non-binary baristas opinion who lives 10000 miles away.

[@sablythe23505]

Lock him up.

[@DinamoDeet101]

ETICS!!! must shape our lives!!

[@hisevilness_com]

A government never had the memes! Nor is it allowed to have its own servers!

[@rustyjohnson5018]

Government built the internet that you love to wage war on.

[@Thisisahandle701]

The questions at the end sucked.

[@paullangton-rogers2390]

India today is a prime example of how this worked well. Public and private partnership from Britain led to railroads, infrastructure, education, law and order = a much better country, not perfect, but a lot better than it was before the British East India Company. Most Indian's I think would agree that when the British pulled out of India and it gained independence from British Empire, it was in a much better shape and place than it was before, to go forward as a unified country and stable continent.

[@ThePierre58]

This man should be in government.

[@mohit_panjwani]

Would fit right in with the murderers who belong behind bars

[@ThePierre58]

@@mohit_panjwani You are a brave man, from the anonymity of an armchair

[@srinivasnyayapathi9083]

This is first time I have ever heard Eric Prince make sense of the mess that he has been the author off...... He has a good understanding of the issues. At the same time, I do not endorse whatever has happened or done, most of it due to lack of discipline amongst his underlings, root of which would be total lack of morals and ethics in the thought process and foundations of Blackwater. That is what distinguishes a professional army of a sovereign nation (however expensive and inefficient) and a Private Military Contractor. There is a moral responsibility, which manifests by honouring the Geneva Conventions on war and related matters. Merrily, the Private Military Contractors have not singed it and are not obliged to obey the basic military ethics prescribed, hence they are very efficient in what they do/did and the host nation had to clean up the mess. Justifying PMC with guns in their hands is still open a debate. Any Sovereign Nation hiring an PMC only to handle the logistics for its military, both away from conflict zone (peace area) as well as way behind the "Line of Conflict" is a choice up to individual nations. A question for everyone "Will they be accountable to the international community to honour the International norms for Conflicts, Ethics of War, or simply tried in their nation courts and acquitted for whatever reason including National Security". PS: Eric Prince conveniently forget to talk about and elaborate on the origins of Afghan conflict with the then USSR and diversion of trained and experienced militia from this conflict for terrorist attacks in USA, UK, India, etc. They were and still are Private Military Contractors, hired to ensure "TOTAL DENIABILITY" and holding the Nations of the world to ransom.

[@thriveni1857]

Geneva conventions is a big bad joke and everything is fair in love and war.

[@pande6008]

@@thriveni1857 that's true, like government never do bad stuff in war(ie; killed civilians or other bad stuff), i bet they can inflict more harm since they've got unlimited resource to burn. The point is, government's ALWAYS do things inefficiently, like when they spend $2 million for a public toilet. that's just the nature of government...

[@thriveni1857]

@@pande6008 okay

[@tarasrakya8414]

@@thriveni1857 why did everyone get so upset about 9/11 then? I mean if anything goes........

[@thriveni1857]

@@tarasrakya8414 propaganda!

[@louisdisbury9759]

A very Shrewd businessman his comments on yield per hector was impressive and Chinese investment in infrastructure in Africa (mostly petro related) taking people out of poverty should be moted by the Global Warming Ideroligists in the very affluent West.

[@texasoilfields]

On behalf of former contractors, thank you Mr. Prince. Ooh rah

[@helenomstreken7577]

Yeah you guys are the best. Murdering without consequences, fucking pussies.

[@rustyjohnson5018]

texasoilfields Government trains ya and this is how you repay them? Erick Prince reminds me of a telemarketer.

[@tawandatawanda8388]

Semper fi

[@oldandtiredshouldberetired3436]

Won't his logistics firm benefit from a war recovery effort? It's a difficult area to do business, but it'll be ripe for growth after the war right?