Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater Worldwide has found work for his new company, Reflex Responses, helping to build a mercenary army for the United Arab Emirates. There are questions about the legality about such a project — an American training foreign soldiers without the U.S.'s approval. Kateri Carmola, an associate professor of political philosophy at Middlebury College in Vermont, explains why this is such an explosive move.

Erik D. Prince, founder of private security firm Xe Services — formerly Blackwater Worldwide — has reached a deal to sell his company to a small group of investors in California. Blackwater became the center of a debate about using private security firms in foreign wars after an alleged skirmish between insurgents and Blackwater personnel in 2007 left 17 Iraqi civilians dead. In the wake of the controversy, the company lost a large State Department contract to protect the U.S. embassy in Iraq, but formed over 30 separate "shell companies" in order to continue to receive millions of dollars in other government contracts. What's next for the private security firm? 

Since September 11^th, the intelligence community has handed off many of its responsibilities to private contractors. The private intelligence industry has grown, and been paid billions by the government despite a culture of waste and mismanagement. Because the intelligence community and contractors now share many similar responsibilities, the line distinguishing the two is blurry.