Blackwater 3.0: Rebranded ‘Academi’ Wants Back in Iraq

[unhappycamper]

The company formerly known as Blackwater


http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/12/blackwater-rebrand-academi/

Blackwater 3.0: Rebranded ‘Academi’ Wants Back in Iraq
By Spencer Ackerman
Email Author
December 12, 2011 | 12:00 pm

~snip~

Say goodbye to Xe. The company formerly known as Blackwater — the world’s most infamous private security corporation — has jettisoned the name it chose in its 2009 rebrand. Now the “security solutions provider” wants to wash away the taint of the 2007 Nisour Square shootings by adopting the new name “Academi.”

But the company is changing its name — not its core business. And it even wants back into the country where it ran its brand through the mud: Iraq.
“Our focus is on training and security services. We’re continuing that,” new CEO Ted Wright tells Danger Room. “We’re not backing away from security services. The lion’s share of our business today is providing training for security services and [providing] security services.”

If Blackwater — sorry, Academi – was a sports franchise, you’d consider 2011 its rebuilding year. A consortium of investors close to the family of founder Erik Prince bought the company in late 2010, and spent 2011 putting together its new leadership team. It brought on board former Attorney General John Ashcroft, Bill Clinton consigliere Jack Quinn and Suzanne Folsom from the insurance giant AIG. Wright came from military-services giant KBR. Notice a pattern? All have deep experience with crisis management.

[RC]

1. "All have deep experience with crisis management."

Yeah, causing the crisis, so they can deal with it at our expense.
These are some more people that need to be tried for war crimes and war profiteering.

[ArcticFox]

2. Can't we just call them "the Terrorists formerly known as Prince?"

[DCKit]

5. Good One! nt

[Hutzpa]

7. lol

perfect.

[Matariki]

9. Oh, bravo!

lol

[d_legendary1]

3. They're taking notes from the Repubican party.

They keep rebranding themselves: first the conservatives, then the neocons, then the tea party. Looks like the Blood Prince is doing the same.

[JohnnyBoots]

4. Read on here that a Goldman subsidiary bought them. Looks like the 1% are

getting their own private armies. Scary thoughts of what the future could hold.

[MichaelMcGuire]

6. Theres enough PMC in Iraq already

[arbusto_baboso]

8. If they were a sports franchise, they'd be the Black Sox.

Let's keep the analogies accurate here...