Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army introduces us to the the U.S. government's powerful private army for the "global war on terror." Blackwater has the world's largest private military base, a fleet of twenty aircraft, and 20,000 contractors at the ready. Run by a multimillionaire Christian conservative who bankrolls President Bush and his allies, its forces are capable of overthrowing governments, and yet most people have never heard of Blackwater.

Author Jeremy Scahill is an award-winning investigative journalist. He is a frequent contributor to The Nation magazine and a correspondent for the national radio and television show Democracy Now!