Context
Abu Dhabi’s crown prince has appointed the founder of notorious private security company Blackwater to establish a battalion of 800 foreign security personnel for the UAE, The New York Times said on Sunday. The newspaper reported it acquired documents showing that the squad being set up by Eric Prince’s new firm Reflex Responses with 529 million dollars from the UAE to be used to carry on special operations, foil internal revolt and protect skyscrapers and pipelines from attack. The Times further said that the decision to appoint a foreign security battalion was made before the ongoing Arab uprisings.
The news is expected to create alarm in the region. Blackwater is widely known to engage in suspicious activities connected to US interests, in countries where it has had presence in the past.
