Protecting The Principal

Author says: what if Benezir Bhutto survived the Presidential elections? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).

January 25: on this day in 2008 in her home city of Karachi, the Chairwoman of Pakistan Peoples Party Benazir Bhutto announced her withdrawal from the national elections. The decision had looked increasingly inevitable ever since her private security detail fired indiscriminantly into the crowd at Liaquat National Bagh in Rawalpindi on December 27th.

After eight years in exile in Dubai and London, Miss Bhutto returned to Karachi on 18 October 2007. Shortly after she left Jinnah International Airport en route to a political rally in Karachi, two explosions occurred. She was not injured but the explosions, later found to be a suicide-bomb attack, killed 136 people and injured at least 450.

"Our mission is to protect the principal at all costs" ~ Ann Starr

The CEO of Blackwater International, Eric Prince contacted Miss Bhutto to impress upon her the compelling piece of information that his private security company had not lost a single "principal" under diplomatic protection. But the price was not cheap, the bill for Paul Bremer's single year in Iraq was a staggering $27m.

"Blackwater provides a valuable service. They protect people's lives" ~ George W. BushMiss Bhutto not alone in her desperation. Following the Nissour Square Massacre in Baghdad on 16th September, the Government of Iraq had expelled Blackwater International from the country. They had soon be replaced by other private security firms, including DynCorp and Triple Canopy, but right now Blackwater needed some new contracts, big time. And that business would soon follow with awards for the US-Mexican Border and the Beijing Olympics projects.

Author says, considerable amounts of source material have been repurposed from the source articles in Master of War: Blackwater USA's Erik Prince and the Business" by by Suzanne Simons, "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" by by Jeremy Scahill.

Imagine what would be, if history had occurred a bit differently. Who says it didn't, somewhere? These fictional news items explore that possibility. Possibilities such as America becoming a Marxist superpower, aliens influencing human history in the 18th century and Teddy Roosevelt winning his 3rd term as president abound in this interesting fictional blog.