Nearly 50,000 mercenaries are in Iraq. This is the story of one Englishman who went to war for profit.
By richard burletson
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Tony James was short of money. A former Marine, who had fought in the Falklands campaign, he was 44 years old and living in Brazil. His security business had collapsed and, with no prospect of an upturn in his fortunes, he made a decision. He would follow in the footsteps of a growing number of combat veterans around the world and become a mercenary. It was a decision that nearly cost him his life.
Increasingly, private military and security companies (PMSCs) are employed as an economic alternative to deploying troops on the ground. Clients range from governments to multinationals. At their most effective, PMSCs can change the course of a conflict, as was the case in Angola and latterly Sierra Leone.
Critics argue that PMSCs are short-term players with only one aim, profit, and that once they leave it's simply a matter of time before the underlying problems re-emerge.
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The pros and cons of the argument were of little interest to James, who travelled to Britain early in 2004, a year after the invasion of Iraq, lured by the prospect of a tax-free wage |
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far in excess of anything available to him in Brazil.
Initially, his search for work proved fruitless. Established companies such as Rubicon and Olive could take their pick of Gulf war veterans and James's age and lack of recent experience in the region counted against him. He persevered and his break eventually came, via an internet forum, when a fellow ex-serviceman working in Iraq told 
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| The pros and cons were of little interest. He was lured by the tax-free wage |
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