[Peace-discuss] Blackwater changes name to Xe {pr:z}

[Chris Tuck]

By MIKE BAKER, Associated Press Writer– 2 hrs 41 mins ago

RALEIGH, N.C. – Blackwater Worldwide is still protecting U.S. diplomats in
Iraq, but executives at the beleaguered security firm are taking their
biggest step yet to put that work and the ugly reputation it earned the
company behind them.

Blackwater said Friday it will no longer operate under the name that came to
be known worldwide as a caustic moniker for private security, dropping the
tarnished brand for a disarming and simple identity: Xe, which is pronounced
like the letter "z."

It's a rare surrender for a company that cherished a brand name inspired by
the dark-water swamps of northeastern North Carolina, one that survived
another rebranding effort about a year ago, following a deadly shooting in
Baghdad's Nisoor Square. The decision to give it up underscores how badly
the Moyock-based company's brand was damaged by that incident and
other security
work in Iraq.

"They have established themselves as the bad guys," said Katy Helvenston,
who sued the company following her son's death during a mission in Fallujah
while working for Blackwater in 2004. "They've established such a horrible
reputation. Why else would they change their name?"

Blackwater acknowledged last year in an interview with the The Associated
Press the damage to its reputation had persuaded the company to focus on
lines of business other than private security contracting.

The issue came to a head last month, when the State Department said it would
not rehire Blackwater to protect its diplomats in Iraq after its current
contract with the company expires in May. The company has one other major
security contract, details of which are classified.

"It's not a direct result of a loss of (that) contract, but certainly that
is an aspect of our work that we feel we were defined by," said spokeswoman
Anne Tyrrell.

The company is also replacing its bear paw logo with a sleeker
black-and-white graphic based on letters that make up the company's new
name. In a note to employees, president Gary Jackson said the name change
reflects the company's new focus, and he indicated Xe would not actively
pursue new security business.

"This company will continue to provide personnel protective services for
high-threat environments when needed by the U.S. government, but its primary
mission will be operating our training facilities around the world," Jackson
said.

It has expanded other businesses such as aviation support, recently building
a fleet of 76 aircraft that it has deployed to such hotspots as West Africa
and Afghanistan. The company got its start in training and continues to
build up that business. Last year, some 25,000 civilians, law enforcement
and military personnel attended a Blackwater class.

The company's changes aren't entirely voluntary. The 2007 shooting in Nisoor
Square involving Blackwater guards left at least a dozen Iraqi civilians
dead, infuriated politicians in Baghdad and Washington, triggered
congressional hearings and increased calls that the company be banned from
Iraq.

Late last year, prosecutors charged five of the company's contractors — but
not Blackwater itself — with manslaughter and weapons violations. In
January, Iraqi officials said they would not give the company a license to
operate. The State Department responded by informing Blackwater it would not
renew a contract that comprises a third of the company's nearly $1 billion
in annual revenue.

"It would hurt us," company CEO Erik Prince said in an interview before
losing the State Department deal. "It would not be a mortal blow, but it
would hurt us."

Blackwater has rebranded before, introducing a new name — Blackwater
Worldwide — and slight changes to its logo about a year ago. But Friday's
announcement cuts ties entirely with a name created in 1997 when Prince and
some of his former Navy SEAL colleagues launched the company.

Xe will cover the parent brand for the two-dozen subsidiaries, and none of
those subsidiaries will retain the word "Blackwater" in their names.

Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky, chair of the Intelligence Subcommittee on
Oversight and Investigations and a longtime Blackwater critic, said the new
name won't change the fact that its actions have resulted in the deaths of
innocent civilians.
"Blackwater's notorious reputation will outlast its name," she said

-- 
Chris Tuck
"People should not be afraid of their governments,
Governments should be afraid of their people."
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