Thibault Serlet
  • Home
  • Book Reviews
  • Contact

Articles

​

Civilian Warriors

3/17/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Civilian Warriors: The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on terror
by Erik Prince
Published in 2013
416 Pages
Thibault’s Score: 3/5


The author, Erik Prince, is the CEO of America’s largest private security contractor / mercenary company that did business during the Iraq war. He is also a former Navy SEAL. He came under fire by the media, and eventually quit Blackwater, disbanding his company and pursuing other ventures.


He has remained a very controversial figure sense. Some view him as a merchant of blood, eager to grab some dollars from the government and enrich himself at the misery of others. Others see him as a man who used the private sector to provide a high quality service at a low cost.


When I saw him speak at various events and do interviews, I realized he was a deeply intelligent man with a very good explanation of what he does (despite his use of Bush-era newspeak). As part of my attempts to understand the modern state, I decided to naturally turn to his book.


The book’s casual writing style was a bit off-putting to me. I was expecting the book’s target audience to be policy wonks, not football watching red state voters. I also think that the book was ghostwritten. Instead, the book focuses on Erik Prince’s fascinating personal story. I enjoyed hearing about how he grew his business.


Many parts of the book made me feel very skeptical of Erik Prince’s story. For example, his appeal to his grandfather’s humble origins and his remarks about his dying wife appear as if they are designed to appeal to the emotionality of the readers.


I also found it suspect that there are no criticisms of the war in Iraq or its motives. Erik Prince likely witnesses incredible amounts of corruption during his time in the war, and it would have been great if he would have exposed the corruption.


That being said, Prince makes a strong case for private militaries. He gives many examples where he contrasts the efficiency of Blackwater with the slow bureaucracy of the army. For example, there was a shootout where some Coalition personnel was under heavy fire. The Coalition forces didn’t send in any support due to the risks involved. Instead, Prince authorized Blackwater to send in helicopters which rescued the trapped personnel. Reactions in the army were mixed: many officials were glad that Blackwater had saved their allies, but others were furious to discover that a group like Blackwater had grown so powerful.


Civilian Warriors is a powerful critique of the fiscally inefficient American war machine, and an excellent defense of the free enterprise system. Ultimately, however, it is also a propaganda book written by the least objective player in the space.


I recommend Civilian Warriors to people who are interested in either private security or Blackwater.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Thibault Serlet

    Most of my articles are book reviews, but I also write about many other topics.

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Book Reviews
  • Contact