In the 2000s, Nader left Washington and spent most of his time in the Middle East, especially in Iraq after the 2003 Iraq invasion.[1] Since then, Nader has volunteered with U.S. politicians to act as a "shadow diplomat" connecting them to Middle Eastern officials.[2] Erik Prince, founder of security firm Blackwater hired Nader to help with contracts with the Iraqi government; in a 2010 deposition Prince identified him as a "business development consultant".[8]