QUIETLY, THE UAE BUILDS A “MERCENARY ARMY”
The New York Times has learned that the founder of Blackwater, the infamous American private security firm, has begun building a “mercenary army” the United Arab Emirates. Erik Prince, the billionaire founder of Blackwater Worldwide, resettled in the UAE in 2010 after facing legal problems in the U.S. He was hired by the crown prince of one of the UAE’s principal emirates, Abu Dhabi, to form an 800-man battalion of foreign troops designed “to conduct special operations missions inside and outside the country, defend oil pipelines and skyscrapers from terrorist attacks and put down internal revolts.” The force is being trained at Zayed Military City, a walled complex of barracks and mess halls. There, retired U.S., French, and British soldiers and special operations units are training Colombians, South Africans, and other foreigners. The U.S. government’s position on the training of the private militia is unclear, and there are federal laws that prohibit U.S. citizens from training foreign troops without a license from the State Department. Mr. Prince has started a new company from the UAE, named Reflex Responses, designed to protect nuclear power plants and provide cyber-security. He hopes to build a sprawling military training complex in the deserts of the UAE to train thousands of foreign troops for the UAE and other governments if this first battalion for the UAE proves to be a success. (New York Times, May 14, 2011)
A SPEED BUMP IN U.S.-SAUDI TIES
The Arab Spring has not boded well for the U.S.-Saudi relationship. The Saudi monarchs have done little to hide their public irritation with what they see as the U.S. abandonment of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and were equally perturbed by America’s criticism of Saudi-ally Bahrain for suppressing its own wave of domestic protests. However, the rocky political relationship has not affected booming defense ties, including a little known effort to develop an elite police force to protect Saudi Arabia’s oil – and future nuclear – sites. Off the record, U.S. officials describe a force that will grow to at least 35,000, trained and equipped by U.S. personnel and overseen by Central Command. It involves officials from the Justice Department, Department of Energy, and the Pentagon.
A 2008 State Department cable made public by Wikileaks explains that the Saudis were convinced to form the force after a Department of Energy briefing convinced them of vulnerabilities in their oil sector. The force is separate from the country’s military and national guard, and its role could be expanded to protect embassies and research/academic institutions. Moreover, Washington and Riyadh are in discussions to “create an air and missile defense system with far greater capability against the regional rival the Saudis fear most, Iran.” And despite political tensions, both countries intend to move forward on a massive $60 billion defense deal announced last fall that includes 84 new F-15s and upgrading 70 more currently in the Saudi air force. (Military Times, May 19, 2011)
PLEDGING LOYALTY IN BAHRAIN…
The government of Bahrain, a longtime U.S. ally and home to America’s Fifth Fleet, has successfully quelled street demonstrations that began in February-- thanks in no small part to the over one thousand troops and armored vehicles sent by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States to assist government security forces. However, in a sign the government is still concerned about simmering dissent among the public, the government has asked students at the state-funded University of Bahrain to sign a pledge of allegiance to the state – or face expulsion from the University. The lengthy pledge forces students to acknowledge that they bear only “6% of [their] total educational expenses” while the “country bears 94%.” A student at the University told the Los Angeles Times that students are being called into the police station and held until they sign the document. (Los Angeles Times, May 18, 2011)
…AS SAUDI-IRANIAN COLD WAR SIMMERS
In other Bahrain news, two Iranian ships apparently carrying Shi’ite activists to the island-nation were confronted by a coalition of warships from the Gulf Cooperation Council -- a grouping of Sunni Gulf monarchies Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- and forced to turn back. Iran, the world’s pre-eminent Shi’ite power, has publicly expressed sympathy for Bahrain’s anti-government protesters, made up mostly of the country’s Shi’ite majority. The predominantly Sunni Gulf monarchies, however, have shown solidarity with Bahrain’s government, which is run by the country’s Sunni minority. The ships were said to be carrying 150 activists who planned to “bring a message of solidarity with the oppressed and tyrannized people of Bahrain.” The president of the Bahraini Information Affairs Authority, Mohammed al-Khalifa, warned Iran’s move “would be a blatant interference in [our] internal affairs. Bahrain did not ask for humanitarian aid from the Iranian republic.” Gulf officials, particularly from Saudi Arabia, Iran’s longtime regional rival, have regularly accused Iran of “meddling” in Bahrain’s affairs and stirring dissent among its Shi’ite minority. (Washington Post, May 16, 2011)
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