Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
As if the past months of US push for regime change in Venezuela with officials like Elliott Abrams of Iran-Contra conviction infamy at the helm wasn’t bizarre enough, things just got weirder, as Erik Prince has apparently been pitching a plan around Washington to privatize US coup efforts using his latest Blackwater inspired mercenary empire.
According to Reuters, Prince — the brother of billionaire Education Secretary Betsy DeVos who has over the past years since selling his mired-in-controversy Blackwater group (now Academi) revived his mercenary empire in China in the form of Frontier Services Group (FSG) — intends to “deploy a private army to help topple Venezuela’s socialist president, Nicholas Maduro”.
Prior file photo of Prince during Congressional committee hearing, via Getty/NPR
Price has reportedly sought access to Trump administration officials to whom he’s attempting to pitch the whole operation, said to involve some 5,000 soldiers-for-hire to be used by opposition leader Juan Guaido, according to multiple sources who spoke to Reuters. The controversial private security CEO has sought investments from both Trump supporters and wealthy Venezuelan exiles, and reportedly held meetings over the plan as recently as mid-April.
Neither the White House nor Guaido opposition representatives have confirmed they were entertaining such a plan, with the latter denying altogether that Guado’s team had even spoken with Prince or FSG reps.
Reuters’ sources described some of the details of the proposed Venezuela coup plan as follows:
The two sources with direct knowledge of Prince’s pitch said it calls for starting with intelligence operations and later deploying 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers-for-hire from Colombia and other Latin American nations to conduct combat and stabilization operations.
Perhaps the most interesting detail to be revealed is the need for a triggering event that could set a final bid for coup over the top, after a number of small attempts failed to gain enough momentum in the past months.
Reuters’ sources described what Prince called a “dynamic event”:
One of Prince’s key arguments, one source said, is that Venezuela needs what Prince calls a “dynamic event” to break the stalemate that has existed since January, when Guaido – the head of Venezuela’s National Assembly – declared Maduro’s 2018 re-election illegitimate and invoked the constitution to assume the interim presidency.
In 2017, Prince is known to have lobbied the Trump administration for using private contractors to stabilize the Middle East.
He’s made headlines last year after pitching an idea to privatize the wars in Afghanistan and Syria to Trump administration officials, which has reportedly met with little progress, though there were some indicators Trump could be open to the idea.
Iraq-style mercenary occupation of Venezuela? Erik Prince hopes so…
Image source: “Silent Professionals” blog
To the shock and surprise of many, a subsidiary of his Hong Kong-based Frontier Services Group has been allowed to operate in Iraq, showing up in the southern city of Basra, after both Prince and Blackwater were formally barred by Iraq’s government from ever entering the country again following the 2007 Nisour Square massacre.
As for Venezuela, things look to slowly destabilize further as continued total economic collapse fuels an ongoing humanitarian emergency, and on news of more armed uprisings by military defectors backing Guaido come out of Caracas.
Washington wants to remove national govrrnment and bring corrupt proxy government in Venezuela. This is the case.
The Jews of Washngton use proxies, international water and space for global terrorism while world bank, IMF and sanctions for economic terrorism.
Trump and his allies have lost their minds.
This assumes they had one at a point.
This evil, despicable, diabolical Prince is a real S*UMBAG!!!!! I always believed in the old saying: God sees everything and waits. Hopefully this piece of garbage meets his end soon for all of the death, destruction, terror and misery he has caused in the world.
Black water Venezuela is not Afghanistan were you killed women and children and spark fear in defenceless people. Maduros people love their country and will defend it against USA infidels.
I heard Woodrow Wilson’s guns I heard Maria crying Late last night I heard the news That Veracruz was dying Someone called Maria’s name I swear it was my father’s voice Saying, “If you stay you’ll all be slain You must leave now – you have no choice Take the servants and ride west Keep the child close to your chest When the American troops withdraw
Let Zapata take the rest” (Warren Zevon)
The Americunts have been butchering people for a long time.
Airforce must bomb Guiados residents for security of the country.Kill the traitor Guiado.
There is something terribly wrong with global security when ‘A holes’ like Trump and his team with morons like Prince can threaten sovereign nations with a coup, violence and no recognition of a duly elected government. If the UN is incapable for whatever reason to intervene then disband the organization and throw international law out the window and resort to measures to exterminate the vermin that is attempting to destroy the globe.
I see a lot of B males in the photo, these are the ones that make up the police forces and do other detestable things. May they rot in peace.
imagine russia or china or iran or another nation trying to do this to trump, causing foment and mercenaries to topple him, lmao that would be the day!!!!
Academi/Black water mercenaries are all terrorists and should be treated as such (mercenaries are not required to be treated as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention).
Let’s just cut to the chase: Frontier’s concentration camp guards pictured above vs. Russian Wagner Group mercs. Mano-a-mano – no space-based laser weapons or invisible planes allowed, Pompeo. There’s plenty of desolate, unpopulated places they can safely go at it without killing civilians. Say, 500 soldiers each side. Winner gets to decide if Venezuela is just another South American labor colony of the US, or a sovereign state.
Yeah, it’s ridiculous. Not just because the US would never honor any agreement if we lost (we never do that) – but because this way there’s a lot less dead Venezuelans to bury no matter what the outcome. Unfortunately, we would lose the chance to showcase our F-35 abilities against a couple of Venezuelan soldiers on a motorcycle in the mountains. “Taste the FUSION, you commie-like Maduro bastards! You’ll never win against our superior battlefield data integration capabilities! Stand back… we also need to FUSE with your oilfields, gold mining operations and central bank.”
I have visions of mercenaries lined up as prisoners of the Venezuelan army, just like the Bay of Pigs.