THE ART OF WAR - ARMED BUSINESS IN LIBYA http://www.voltairenet.org/Armed-business-in-Libya  The "new Libya" is a mirror for larks, with entrepreneurs scrambling for mega-deals. However, the current state of instability makes any construction project extremely risky. The oil and food supply sectors are the only ones that offer long-term guarantees. Provided of course that businessmen are protected ... this is where the private military companies come in.With the end of Operation "Unified Protector", and while NATO "continues to monitor the situation, ready to assist if necessary," the gold rush in Libya is going full steam even for minor Western companies. They are taking second place after the giant U.S. and European oil companies and investment banks, which have secured the key positions.The Farnesina (Editor’s note: the Italian Foreign Ministry) is committed to "facilitating the participation of small and medium-sized Italian companies in the construction of liberated Libya." However, it was preceded by the arrival in Tripoli of a delegation of 80 French companies, while British defense minister Philip Hammond had already asked the companies in his country to "pack their bags" and head for Libya.Juicy business deals are in the offing, now that NATO has razed Libya to the ground. And then there’s that open strong-box on to be seized: at least 170 billion dollars of "frozen" sovereign wealth funds, incremented by oil export revenues, which can reach 30 billion annually.But there is one problem: the climate of tension that endangers the travel of entrepreneurs inside the country. Therefore, "security" tops the list of commodities which are up for sale in Libya. Several companies have already zeroed in. Featuring prominently among them is Sne Special Projects Ltd, a British military company headed by a former paratrooper who worked as a contractor (mercenary) in Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan and Nigeria, and who is seconded by former military intelligence officers, special forces, riot police and anti-terrorism squads.Similar services are provided by U.S. companies Scn Resources Group and Security Contracting Network, as well as various other firms more recently arrived in Libya.The beneficiaries are not only Western companies, already busy grabbing the most lucrative contracts before the new arrival of Chinese, but also the U.S. State Department and other Western ministries for their operations in Libya, both direct or through "non-profit" associations funded by them.