Colombia's War System's New Cash Crop: Mercenaries! https://nacla.org/blog/colombias-war-systems-new-cash-crop-mercenaries

Colombia’ s War System’s New Cash Crop: Mercenaries?In the age of hyper capitalism coined, as “globalization” the export of mercenaries and private security armies have become an integral part of the international political economy. But, when a country like Colombia in a state of civil war since 1964 sends men to fight in a foreign place like the United Arab Emirates this does not only raises eyebrows but questions the global spill-over effects of a “war system” gone awry and its distortions.

 The irony is Colombia following the paths of Israel and South Africa (two pioneers in the business of mercenaries) is exporting the commodity of war in the form of labor and this can be attributed to a number of factors:The availability of “skills” and “know how” accumulated during its protracted conflict.The existence a surplus of labor that its war system does not need.And also due to the much higher wages that these “skills” fetch in global markets.It seems that alongside the country’s traditional cash crops: coffee, oil, gold, coal, and cocaine its “war system” is finding a new niche in the lucrative global market of killing and suppression.