UAE: Government Hires Blackwater Founder to Create Mercenary Force

According to Max Boot, writing at Commentary, the UAE has hired Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, to assemble a mercenary battalion for the government.  Boot argues that while the use of ‘soldiers of fortune’ is not inherently wrong , there can be no confusion that the UAE intends to use such mercenaries to quell internal dissent by force; with a particular focus on its large “underclass of foreign-born workers who keep the emirates running but are denied citizenship or any other benefits native Emiratis receive.”  Boot speculates that based on previous reports, Prince is hiring Latin Americans and other non-Arabs for his force.