A "marriage of convenience" between Blackwater and Monsanto?

       What a deal! The world’s largest mercenary army, Blackwater (now known as Xe Services or Academi) has been sold to the Multinational corporation Monsanto. That’s what Jeremy Scahill claims in The Nation. Sounds like a hefty economic operation with a strategic geopolitical focus.

       A bit of back up: Blackwater was the group accused of numerous abuses during the U.S. invasion of Iraq, including the massacres of civilians. Though renamed, it remains the largest private contractor of “security services” for the U.S. Department of State. Not surprisingly—especially after recent scoops indicating the extravagant extra-legal activities of the CIA—Blackwater (or Xe Services) works with military officers, CIA agents or others involved in undercover activities whose basic function is profit: information, lobbying and assorted other cloak and dagger activities for foreign governments, banks or multinational corporations.

     At least that is what Scahill claims: they carry on businesses with multinations such as Monsanto, Chevron or banks such as Barclays and Deutsche Bank and the information is channeled through two companies owned by none other than Erik Prince, the owner of Blackwater. Scahill mentions at least two: Total Intelligence Solutions and Terrorism Research Center, with officers and directors shared with Blackwater.

    The information provided in the report adds that Cofer Black, was one of the contacts with Monsanto in 2008, as director of Total Intelligence. Contacted by Scahill, Monsanto executive Kevin Wilson declined to comment, but later confirmed to The Nation that they had in fact hired Total Intelligence in 2008 and 2009 to keep track of public disclosure of its opponents. He claimed that Total Intelligence was a “totally separate entity from Blackwater.”

     Nevertheless, Scahill managed to get copies of emails from Cofer Black after a meeting with Wilson for Monsanto. There he explains to other former CIA agents, using their Blackwater emails, that the discussion with Wilson was that Total Intelligence had become “Monsanto’s intelligence arm,” spying on activists among other activities.

     If we suppose for a moment that the information provided by Scahill is true we are faced with an impressive consolidation of economic (and political) power. Just to put it into context: Bill Gates controls more than 90 percent of the market share of proprietary computing and Monsanto about 90 percent of the global transgenic seed market and most global commercial seed.  What happened to the notion of competition?

    Put the three together: Blackwater (the world’s secret war machine), Monsanto (the control of  modified seeds) and Gates (the grab on information).

    There are those of course who claim that the information is not true or only in part and that certainly will be the topic of genuine journalistic investigation. However, it is known that in today’s world intelligence agencies are not just involved in the so-called struggle against terrorism. And there are intelligence agencies which work for governments and “private” intelligence agencies. There is an undeniably strong economic element involved, as revealed by former CIA agent Snowden recently.

    In the future who can doubt that the struggle for world power will attempt to unite elements such as information, food supply and the behind the scenes war against the “undesirable.” (whoever they may be) Sound like a hit movie? Could be. But close enough to reality to provoke a profound debate concerning the future of the world.