Volker Franke
Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 1 – July-August, 2011
MENTIONING private security contractors to anyone not affiliated with the industry almost immediately generates images of machine guns, armored vehicles, bullet-proof vests and macho behavior reminiscent of stereotypical mercenaries. Following the Abu-Ghraib prison scandal in 2004 and the Nisour Square shootings in 2007, when 17 Iraqi civilians were killed by Blackwater security guards in a firefight in the heart of Baghdad City, the media and a number of sensationalistic best-sellers have portrayed the industry and those working for it as thrill-seekers, primarily interested in making a quick buck and generally indifferent to human needs.
However, much of the “evidence” presented in these stories is purely anecdotal and lacks any kind of systematic or scientific empirical analysis. What, apart from these subjective accounts, do we really know about the motives of the men and women working in the peace and stability industry? Are the incidents that grab media attention indicative of the shortfalls of a rapidly growing industry? Are they, in fact, evidence confirming the picture portrayed in the media of security contractors as ‘gun-slinging cowboys’? Or are they unavoidable side-effects of working in a combat zone? Who are these individuals, volunteering to risk their lives, so the common assumption goes, for a pay check? What really drives them? What are their ideals and motivations?
