Privatization is not a new concept; indeed, it was actively promoted by the United Provinces of the Netherlands to supplement its foreign policy by delegating certain responsibilities to the East and West India Companies. Formed as a joint-stock trading venture, the West India Company (WIC) was given a charter to monopolize trade from the Cape of Good Hope west to the outer reaches of New Guinea.
It had the power to raise its own armies and navies, make alliances with local sovereigns within its sphere of operations, and, if necessary, had the power to make war and peace in defense of its interests — essentially a privatization of foreign policy. [Read more…] about Privatizing Colonization: The Patroonship of Rensselaerswijck