The War Nerd has been wildly uneven of late, but when hes on, hes on. But what about that fact that we lost? It seems to make no impression on Prince. I found that odd, at first. How can a man who used to be a Navy SEAL show total indifference to, and ignorance of, counterinsurgency theory? But the more I looked at the history of mercenary captains like Prince, especially those from the era of the condottieri, the mercenary commanders who destroyed Italy in the late 15th and early 16th century, the more sense Prince’s indifference to American military success started to make. Prince is the direct descendant of the condottieri; even the word “condottiero” means “contractor,” Prince’s preferred term for his soldiers of fortune. Some of these condottieri particularly Francesco Bussone Carmagnola, are eerily similar to Prince, in their cynicism, in their career trajectory, their selfishness, and their megalomaniacal vanity. Carmagnola set the pattern for all condottieri: He would win a tactical victory, as he did in the Battle of Maclodio then allow the defeated army to retreat and regroup, ensuring more campaigning and “…forcing [his backers] to pay incredible amounts in upkeep for the almost useless army.” From 15th century Northern Italy to the Sunni Triangle isn’t all that far, when you think like a mercenary. Mercenaries don’t want to win, they want a paycheck, and the longer the paycheck lasts, the better for them. Thus, a cycle of endless wars, meaningless tactical victories in a strategic vacuum, is the perfect environment for a condottiero like Prince. In retrospect, saying that Prince was indifferent to the debacle that was Iraq is too generous; it was a godsend to him and his gang of hired thugs. If you think about the two Gulf Wars as an American, Gulf War I seems like a quick, decisive victory, and Gulf War II a protracted debacle. But think about them like Carmagnola or Prince would, and they reverse positions: There’s much more money in a long, failed war like II than a quick victory like I. pando/2013/11/30/erik-prince-blackwater-founder-free-market-condottiero/
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 07:59:20 +0000
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