Erik Prince, commander of the world’s most powerful private army – Blackwater; and how wars can make private companies very rich, very quickly

At 38, Erik Prince was in effect the commander of the world’s most powerful private army. He looks like Hollywood’s take on a soldier, even in civilian dress. His straight blond hair is cut army-short, with just a little length in the neat fringe. He is tanned, fit and good-looking, with sharp blue eyes and the bearing of a man in uniform.

US leads world arms trade, holds 42 per cent of the market: wars in Iraq and Afghanistan prompted a weapons shopping spree

The US reaffirmed its leadership in world arms trade last year, cornering nearly 42 per cent of the market as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan prompted a weapons shopping spree among neighbouring nations.

Troubling questions surround 9/11 events: lengthy list of inconsistencies, non-sequiturs, technicalities and legal challenges remain unanswered

Robert Fisk is reported in The Australian (27/8/2007, p. 17) as writing in The Independent in Britain: “Each time I lecture abroad on the Middle East, there is always someone in the audience whom I call the ‘raver’. His – or her – question goes like this. ‘Why, if you believe you’re a free journalist, don’t you report what you really know about 9/11? Why don’t you tell the truth that the Bush administration (or the CIA or Mossad, you name it) blew up the twin towers? Why don’t you reveal the secrets behind 9/11?'”

US retreats from Iraq, Dutch leave Afghanistan; Australia faces withdrawal from Afghanistan unless another ally can be found to provide protection for troops

The US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and US ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said in a report to Congress that Washington’s “surge” strategy – the decision to deploy an extra 30,000 troops primarily in Baghdad – had reduced sectarian and terrorist violence there. General Petraeus also said he would reconsider whether further withdrawals of US troops were warranted from as early as March next year, reported The Australian Financial Review (12/9/2007, p.13).

Facts, lies and statistics: The Petraeus report’s findings conflict with others, including a US Government Accountability Office report that finds Iraq had failed to achieve 11 out of 18 security benchmarks, including stamping out militia violence and making political progress on reconciling Iraq’s Shiite and Sunni Muslims.

US drawdown by mid-2008? General Petraeus said that any premature withdrawal of US troops from Iraq would invite disaster, but he suggested the force could drop from 160,000 to 130,000 – its pre-January surge level – by mid-2008 without sacrificing any security gains.

Aus troops in Iraq: Australia has 1575 troops either serving in Iraq or supporting the mission in neighbouring Middle East countries, including 515 in Iraq’s southern Dhi Qar province training and backing up Iraqi forces.

Aussies in Afghanistan: In Afghanistan, up to 1000 Australian troops in Oruzgan province rely on 1700 Dutch soldiers for logistical support, while Canada has 2300 troops based near Kandahar.

Australian troops seeks friendly troops in Afghanistan: With a shadow hanging over the Dutch mission, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson has warned that Australia will have to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan unless another ally can be found to provide protection. Canada has ruled itself out.

The Australian Financial Review, 12/9/2007, p. 13