Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army

Meet Blackwater USA, the world's most secretive and powerful mercenary firm. Based in the wilderness of North Carolina, it is the fastest-growing private army on the planet, with forces capable of carrying out regime change throughout the world. Blackwater protects the top U.S. officials in Iraq and yet the world knows almost nothing about the firm's quasi-military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and inside the United States.

An extraordinary expos by one of America's young radical journalists, this is the dark story of the rise of a powerful mercenary army, ranging from the blood-soaked streets of Fallujah to the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, where Blackwater executives are hailed as heroes.

Jeremy Scahill is a Polk Award-winning investigative journalist. He is a frequent contributor to The Nation magazine and a correspondent for the national radio show Democracy Now! Scahill has reported extensively from Iraq, the former Yugoslavia, and Nigeria. He is currently a Puffin Foundation Writing Fellow at The Nation Institute and lives in Brooklyn, New York.