The growing disorder catalysed by neo-liberal globalisation has led to the adoption of international security policies, increasingly reliant on private contractors (PMSCs) selling military services domestically and abroad. This article note that under US–British auspices, the world is witnessing a return to the age of corporate mercenaries and soldiers of fortune. The American Blackwater firm became famous as much for its often brutal actions in Iraq as for its political influence in the US. Security companies in effect wage war privately on behalf of their employers without being accountable to the populations amongst which they are deployed nor are they subject to military rules and laws of war. Attempts are being made, at the UN and in various countries, to regulate and control their activities but the power of big business, including PMSCs, remains unmatched.
