March 2004 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: DoD advisor advocates piracy
by Major Variola (ret) 31 Mar '04

31 Mar '04

There will be a lot of (justly) dead fishermen in that case. When the USG does piracy, or merely boards a ship, there are major snipers on the US vessel, and the inspectors are accompanied by well armed folks. In addition, free-lance piracy will be a great cover for real pirates at sea. And of course, what's good for the US is good for everyone else. Perhaps seagoing muslim nations will start boarding cruise lines, looking for illegal ethanol. At 02:14 PM 3/31/04 -0500, Trei, Peter wrote: >Statement of Peter Leitner >Additionally, I would suggest that the US may be well served by resurrecting >the historic use of Letters of Marque in both the war on Terrorism and the >protection of our coastal environment.

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Re: Liquid Natural Flatulence
by Tyler Durden 31 Mar '04

31 Mar '04

Uh...this is getting tiring...as far as I'm concerned this part of the discussion looks like semantics. >From a pure physics standpoint, there isn't a hell of a lot of diference between a noncrystalline solid and a liquid. One's moving faster. The gaseous state is of course where molecules have reached an escape velocity, overcoming the inter-molecular attraction. In the case of a noncrystalline solid (at room temp) it probably makes sense to include transition from the "liquid" state into gaseous as being describable by the word "sublimation". If not, the word is probably not very useful outside of HS and pre-med physics courses. -TD >From: "R. A. Hettinga" <rah(a)shipwright.com> >To: <cypherpunks(a)al-qaeda.net> >Subject: Re: Liquid Natural Flatulence >Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 14:38:03 -0500 > >-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- >Hash: SHA1 > >At 7:56 PM +0100 3/31/04, Jim Dixon wrote: > >"Sublimation of an element or substance is a conversion between the > >solid and the gaseous states with no liquid intermediate stage." > >Yes, I know the common definition. > >But, like I said, I was told by someone who claimed to know better, >and, thinking about it, I think he's right. > >Since some people, like Peter, hypothesize that it's an extreme >example of evaporation and not sublimation, :-), I'm going to go poke >my nephew the chemistry student and see if I can get a pointer to an >authoritative explanation. > >How's that? > >Cheers, >RAH > >-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- >Version: PGP 8.0.3 > >iQA/AwUBQGseAMPxH8jf3ohaEQJH5ACgmwJBUhFHzBjIbsj24nl1sQrftisAoLNO >Uu4jEgpN9fff9IwL0GnMCM0H >=oUN/ >-----END PGP SIGNATURE----- > >-- >----------------- >R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> >The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> >44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA >"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, >[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to >experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' > _________________________________________________________________ Is your PC infected? Get a FREE online computer virus scan from McAfee. Security. http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963

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4 mercs and non-gov paramilitaries
by Tyler Durden 31 Mar '04

31 Mar '04

Wow. This discussion was timely. Apparently the four bodies they've been dragging around in Iraq are those of Blackwater (US) Mercs. Like I said...Iraqis apparently aren't splitting hairs about "public" and "private"...seems to me any US companies involved at this point are more or less in colusion with The State. >From MSNBC... "U.S. officials, who spoke with NBC News on condition of anonymity, said that all four contractors were Americans who worked for Blackwater USA of Moyock, N.C. The officials did not confirm reports from the scene that a woman was among the dead. Blackwater USA supplies security guards to the Coalition Provisional Authority and has provided protection for Iraq administrator L. Paul Bremer, among other coalition officials." >From: "Tyler Durden" <camera_lumina(a)hotmail.com> >To: gabe(a)seul.org, cypherpunks(a)al-qaeda.net >Subject: RE: Jackbooted thugs, mercs and non-gov paramilitaries >Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 12:47:06 -0500 > >Aiya...shit. Things are rather worse than I thought. Hey...I'm getting the >idea for a Sci-Fi story...imagine "official" war casualties in Iraq get bad >enough that the US government decides to simply hire private forces to do >all the work (then the official casualty #s they can report are basically >zero from then on). Eventually some of the big Mercenary multinationals >start instigating wars so they can keep their stock prices up... > >-TD > > >>From: Gabriel Rocha <gabe(a)seul.org> >>To: "Email List: Cypherpunks" <cypherpunks(a)al-qaeda.net> >>Subject: Jackbooted thugs, mercs and non-gov paramilitaries >>Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 10:17:45 -0500 >> >>I don't normally forward articles, but this one might be of interest to >>some here. I especially like the part where these guys are exempt from >>the legal system... >> >>http://www.economist.com/world/europe/PrinterFriendly.cfm?Story_ID=2539816 >> >>British companies have been grousing about losing out to the Americans >>in Iraq. But in one area, British companies excel: security >> >> >>THE sight of a mob of Iraqi stone-throwers attacking the gates to the >>Basra palace where the coalition has its southern headquarters is no >>surprise. What's odd is the identity of the uniformed men holding them >>off. The single Briton prodding his six Fijians to stand their ground >>are not British army soldiers but employees of Global Risk Strategies, a >>London-based security company. >> >>Private military companies (PMCs).mercenaries, in oldspeak.manning the >>occupation administration's front lines are now the third-largest >>contributor to the war effort after the United States and Britain. >>British ones are popular, largely because of the reputation of the >>Special Air Service (SAS) regiment whose ex-employees run and man many >>of the companies. They maintain they have twice as many men on the >>ground as their American counterparts. According to David Claridge, >>managing director of Janusian, a London-based security firm, Iraq has >>boosted British military companies' revenues from #200m ($320m) before >>the war to over #1 billion, making security by far Britain's most >>lucrative post-war export to Iraq. >> >>It's a lucrative business. A four-man ex-SAS team in Baghdad can cost >>$5,000 a day. Buoyed by their earnings, the comrades-in-arms live in the >>plushest villas in the plushest quarters of Baghdad. Their crew-cut >>occupants compare personal automatics, restock the bars and refill the >>floodlit pools of the former Baathist chiefs. >> >>Established companies have expanded; new ones have sprung up. Control >>Risks, a consultancy, now provides armed escorts. It has 500 men >>guarding British civil servants. Global Risk Strategies was a two-man >>team until the invasion of Afghanistan. Now it has over 1,000 guards in >>Iraq.more than many of the countries taking part in the >>occupation.manning the barricades of the Coalition Provisional Authority >>(CPA). Last year it also won a $27m contract to distribute Iraq's new >>dinar. Erinys, another British firm, was founded by Alastair Morrisson, >>an ex-SAS officer who emerged from semi-retirement to win a contract >>with Jordanian and Iraqi partners to protect Iraq's oil installations. >>CPA officials say the contract is worth over $100m. Erinys now commands >>a 14,000-strong armed force in Iraq. >> >>In industry jargon, these companies' manpower is split into Iraqis, >>.third-country nationals. (Gurkhas and Fijians) and .internationals. >>(usually white first-worlders). Iraqis get $150 a month, .third-country >>nationals. 10-20 times as much, and .internationals. 100 times as much. >>Control Risks still relies on westerners, but ArmorGroup, a British >>rival, employs 700 Gurkhas to shepherd America's primary contractors in >>Iraq, Bechtel and KBR. Erinys's corps of pipeline protectors is >>overwhelmingly Iraqi. The cheapness of the other ranks, compared with >>western soldiers, is one reason why PMCs are flourishing. .Why pay for a >>British platoon to guard a base, when you can hire Gurkhas at a fraction >>of the cost?. asks one. >> >>Nobody knows how long government contracts will last after the CPA >>dissolves on June 30th. But multi-billion World Bank and UN >>reconstruction funds should provide rich pickings. Amid rising violence, >>the Program Management Office, which handles America's $18.6 billion aid >>budget for Iraq, has raised its estimates of security costs from an >>initial 7% of contracts to 10%. Blackwater, the American firm protecting >>Iraq's American proconsul, Paul Bremer, says in many cases costs run to >>over 25%. That's bad news for Iraqis hoping for reconstruction, but >>great news for PMCs. >> >>The boom has led to two worries. The first is lack of regulation. >>Stressed and sometimes ill-trained mercenaries operate in Iraq's mayhem >>with apparent impunity, erecting checkpoints without authorisation, and >>claiming powers to detain and confiscate identity cards. A South African >>company guarding a Baghdad hotel put guns to the heads of this >>correspondent's guests. According to the CPA, non-Iraqi private-security >>personnel contracted to the coalition or its partners are not subject to >>Iraqi law. Even the industry is concerned. Regulation is vital, says >>ArmorGroup's Christopher Beese, if Iraq is not to descend into the law >>of the jungle. >> >>Second, the boom may be eroding Britain's defences. Just when the war on >>terror is stretching the SAS to the limit, the rising profitability of >>private sector work is tempting unprecedented numbers of its men to >>leave. An SAS veteran estimates that some 40 of its 300 corps requested >>early release from their contracts last year. Another guesses that there >>are more ex-SAS people in Iraq than there are currently serving in the >>regiment. Head-hunters poaching military talent, say critics, risk >>turning the army's elite corps into little more than a training school >>for PMCs. >> > >_________________________________________________________________ >FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar get it now! >http://toolbar.msn.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/ > _________________________________________________________________ All the action. All the drama. Get NCAA hoops coverage at MSN Sports by ESPN. http://msn.espn.go.com/index.html?partnersite=espn

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DoD advisor advocates piracy
by Trei, Peter 31 Mar '04

31 Mar '04

No, seriously. ...the 'Yo Ho Ho' kind, that is. Peter Trei ----------- http://epw.senate.gov/hearing_statements.cfm?id=219545 <quote> U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works Hearing Statements Date: 03/24/2004 Statement of Peter Leitner Author Reforming the Law of the Sea Treaty Oversight hearing to examine the "United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea". [...] I am appearing before you today as a private citizen and author. Although I am a Senior Strategic Trade Advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense my views and statements are my own and do not represent the views of the Department or the U.S. government. [massive snippage] Additionally, I would suggest that the US may be well served by resurrecting the historic use of Letters of Marque in both the war on Terrorism and the protection of our coastal environment. It is obvious that the Federal government is facing many simultaneous missions that take precedence over traditional offshore environmental protection activities. This necessary overextension, arising from the war on terror, results in shortages of vessels and crews required for environmental patrols. Letters of Marque, last used during the War of 1812, effectively enabled privateers to destroy the Barbary Pirates and is a concept whose time has come, again! American Fishermen and merchant seamen idled by quotas, regulation, and predatory foreign competition can be mobilized to patrol the marine environment. They can also be authorized to seize terrorist assets and provide material assistance to the families of Americans victimized by terrorism awarded punitive damages by US courts. Such modern-day Privateers would be legally deputized to act as agents of the US Courts, the President, Congress, or State Governors to protect the environment or fight terrorism by depriving terrorists of their economic assets. [...] </quote>

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RAND: Assessing the Homeland Security Implications of Publicly Available Geospat
by Poindexter＠SAFe-mail.net 31 Mar '04

31 Mar '04

John, Funny the paper doesn't mention Cryptome's eyeballing project. :)) Abstract: U.S. decisionmakers require an analytical process for assessing whether publicly accessible geospatial information (e.g., maps, overhead images, Web site information) can help potential attackers, including terrorists, in selecting and planning attacks on U.S. critical sites. This book provides a framework to assist U.S. decisionmakers by applying three key criteria usefulness, uniqueness, and societal benefits and costs to assessing the homeland security implications of geospatial information. http://www.rand.org/publications/MG/MG142 Keep up the great work. Regards, JP

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RE: Liquid Natural Flatulence
by Trei, Peter 31 Mar '04

31 Mar '04

R. A. Hettinga wrote: > A *cryogenic* liquid, mind you, meaning that you'd have to heat the > stuff up a lot, and very quickly, in order to set it ablaze, much > less blow it up. A liquid which is busily sublimating directly into > the gas that it is at room temperature, and diluting, accordingly, > with the vast amount of normal air around it in the process. More to > the point, as a gas, it's about half the weight of air itself, so it > *rises*, as it dissipates, straight up, again, very quickly. It > doesn't hang around, flowing down hill, and pooling like, say, C02 > might, with the potential to asphyxiate people in the process. Bob: Get your facts straight: * Evaporating LPG (liquids do not 'sublimate') will burn at the interface where the proper mixture is obtains - and the heat from that will speed the evaporization of the rest. * LPGs (both butane and propane) are denser than air. Propane has about the same density as CO2. Butane is even denser. They will both travel downhill and pool in low spots. * LPGs can most definitely asphyxiate you. Check: http://www.lpga.co.uk/safe_handling.htm "LPG can form a flammable mixture when mixed with air. The flammable range at ambient temperature and pressure extends between approximately 2 % of the vapour in air at its lower limit and approximately 10 % of the vapour in air at its upper limit. Within this range there is a risk of ignition. Outside this range any mixture is either too weak or too rich to propagate flame. However, over-rich mixtures can become hazardous when diluted with air and will also burn at the interface with air." "LPG vapour is denser than air: butane is about twice as heavy as air and propane about one and a half times as heavy as air. Consequently, the vapour may flow along the ground and into drains, sinking to the lowest level of the surroundings and be ignited at a considerable distance from the source of leakage. In still air vapour will disperse slowly." "At very high concentrations in air, LPG vapour is anaesthetic and subsequently an asphyxiant by diluting or decreasing the available oxygen.." The 'rise to the sky and disperse' stuff you're talking about applies to hydrogen, not LPG. A massive LPG spill will spread out over the surface of the ground and water, and when a source of ignition is found, the whole mass will burn at the interface where it mixes with air. You might also want to take a look at www.respondersafety.com/downloads/standoff.doc "Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Safe Standoff Distance Cheat Sheet" which reccomends in the case of an 18 wheeler LPG truck to keep people at least 1996 feet away. I would not want to be nearby when a tanker - or a massive storage tank - gets hit. Peter Trei

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RE: Liquid Natural Flatulence
by Trei, Peter 31 Mar '04

31 Mar '04

Bob wrote: >Justing wrote: >>Haven't you ever seen a phase diagram? >Sigh. Yes. Here's one, for water: ><http://wine1.sb.fsu.edu/chm1045/notes/Forces/Phase/Forces06.htm> >And your point is? Let's see, if we rapidly cool boiling water by >dispersing it in supercold air... somewhere past the triple-point, it >goes straight through the solid state, do not pass go, and >*sublimates* directly into the air. >Now, maybe, it freezes at the molecular level, or something, first. >But to the observer, it never reaches a solid state, and it turns >directly into a gas. It sublimates. >My understanding is that it has something to do with the extreme >temperature differential. Like you get with a bunch of boiling LNG >floating on the Mystic River under the Tobin Bridge. Which is what >that guy from the USDOE said. The argument here is over your use of the word 'sublimate'. Liquid water can't sublimate by definition, since its a liquid. We're saying that your chemist friend is using the word incorrectly. That's all. Peter

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RE: Liquid Natural Flatulence
by Trei, Peter 31 Mar '04

31 Mar '04

RAH wrote: >Peter, I'm not going to get into a fisking match with you, but I >didn't just make this stuff up, and I resent you saying I did. OK, I agree I was a bit snarky. Mea culpas below. >At 10:26 AM -0500 3/31/04, Trei, Peter wrote: >>* Evaporating LPG (liquids do not 'sublimate') will burn at the >>interface where the proper mixture is obtains - and the heat from >>that will speed the evaporization of the rest. >Right. >And, uncontained, it doesn't explode, either, which was my main >point. It'll burn like hell, but that wasn't what the sanctified >idiots at the Bulletin of the Atomic "Scientists" were FUDding on >about. Not only that, but it doesn't burn that fast: http://northstarind.com/lngfaqs.html "Natural gas is only combustible at a concentration of 5 to 15 percent when mixed with air. And, its flame speed is very slow. These facts may best be experienced by a simple demonstration often done at LNG fire schools. A large pit, i.e., 20' x 20', is filled with LNG, allowing the vapor cloud to drift with the wind. The cloud is ignited with a torch from a downwind side. Ignition typically occurs near the visible fringes of the cloud. The resulting flame front moves back toward the pit at a speed only slightly faster than a walk." >As for "sublimate", when you toss a cup of boiling water into the air >at extremely cold temperatures it converts straight into a gas, all >at once. That's what I was talking about. A chemist I bumped into >with that story called it sublimation, and when I said I thought >"sublimate" was meant for solids only, he said no, that instantaneous >conversion to a gas is sublimation whether origin state is a solid or >liquid. >Go figure. Well, I tried. Every dictionary I checked refers only to direct solid->gas transition. I'm aware of the effect you describe, but its not sublimation. See: http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/antarctica%20environm ent/weather.htm If you throw boiling water into the air at -32C, much of it evaporates instantly (the humidity is near zero), and some of the larger droplets freeze, falling to the ground as ice. No liquid will hit the ground. Volcabulary flames are about as pointless as they get, so I apologize for starting this one. >As for >>* LPGs (both butane and propane) are denser than air. >>Propane has about the same density as CO2. Butane is even denser. >>They will both travel downhill and pool in low spots. >I did actually look this up when I wrote my rant. LNG floats on >water, and, as a gas, it's lighter than air by about half the weight >of same. Mea culpa. I was confusing LPG and LNG. (Some of the sources I looked at refered to liquid propane and butane is LNGs.) Those gases are denser than air. Correctly speaking, they are referred to as Liquified Petroleum Gases (LPG), not Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). LNG is primarily methane, which, as you say, is lighter than air. Peter

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RE: Jackbooted thugs, mercs and non-gov paramilitaries
by Tyler Durden 31 Mar '04

31 Mar '04

Aiya...shit. Things are rather worse than I thought. Hey...I'm getting the idea for a Sci-Fi story...imagine "official" war casualties in Iraq get bad enough that the US government decides to simply hire private forces to do all the work (then the official casualty #s they can report are basically zero from then on). Eventually some of the big Mercenary multinationals start instigating wars so they can keep their stock prices up... -TD >From: Gabriel Rocha <gabe(a)seul.org> >To: "Email List: Cypherpunks" <cypherpunks(a)al-qaeda.net> >Subject: Jackbooted thugs, mercs and non-gov paramilitaries >Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 10:17:45 -0500 > >I don't normally forward articles, but this one might be of interest to >some here. I especially like the part where these guys are exempt from >the legal system... > >http://www.economist.com/world/europe/PrinterFriendly.cfm?Story_ID=2539816 > >British companies have been grousing about losing out to the Americans >in Iraq. But in one area, British companies excel: security > > >THE sight of a mob of Iraqi stone-throwers attacking the gates to the >Basra palace where the coalition has its southern headquarters is no >surprise. What's odd is the identity of the uniformed men holding them >off. The single Briton prodding his six Fijians to stand their ground >are not British army soldiers but employees of Global Risk Strategies, a >London-based security company. > >Private military companies (PMCs).mercenaries, in oldspeak.manning the >occupation administration's front lines are now the third-largest >contributor to the war effort after the United States and Britain. >British ones are popular, largely because of the reputation of the >Special Air Service (SAS) regiment whose ex-employees run and man many >of the companies. They maintain they have twice as many men on the >ground as their American counterparts. According to David Claridge, >managing director of Janusian, a London-based security firm, Iraq has >boosted British military companies' revenues from #200m ($320m) before >the war to over #1 billion, making security by far Britain's most >lucrative post-war export to Iraq. > >It's a lucrative business. A four-man ex-SAS team in Baghdad can cost >$5,000 a day. Buoyed by their earnings, the comrades-in-arms live in the >plushest villas in the plushest quarters of Baghdad. Their crew-cut >occupants compare personal automatics, restock the bars and refill the >floodlit pools of the former Baathist chiefs. > >Established companies have expanded; new ones have sprung up. Control >Risks, a consultancy, now provides armed escorts. It has 500 men >guarding British civil servants. Global Risk Strategies was a two-man >team until the invasion of Afghanistan. Now it has over 1,000 guards in >Iraq.more than many of the countries taking part in the >occupation.manning the barricades of the Coalition Provisional Authority >(CPA). Last year it also won a $27m contract to distribute Iraq's new >dinar. Erinys, another British firm, was founded by Alastair Morrisson, >an ex-SAS officer who emerged from semi-retirement to win a contract >with Jordanian and Iraqi partners to protect Iraq's oil installations. >CPA officials say the contract is worth over $100m. Erinys now commands >a 14,000-strong armed force in Iraq. > >In industry jargon, these companies' manpower is split into Iraqis, >.third-country nationals. (Gurkhas and Fijians) and .internationals. >(usually white first-worlders). Iraqis get $150 a month, .third-country >nationals. 10-20 times as much, and .internationals. 100 times as much. >Control Risks still relies on westerners, but ArmorGroup, a British >rival, employs 700 Gurkhas to shepherd America's primary contractors in >Iraq, Bechtel and KBR. Erinys's corps of pipeline protectors is >overwhelmingly Iraqi. The cheapness of the other ranks, compared with >western soldiers, is one reason why PMCs are flourishing. .Why pay for a >British platoon to guard a base, when you can hire Gurkhas at a fraction >of the cost?. asks one. > >Nobody knows how long government contracts will last after the CPA >dissolves on June 30th. But multi-billion World Bank and UN >reconstruction funds should provide rich pickings. Amid rising violence, >the Program Management Office, which handles America's $18.6 billion aid >budget for Iraq, has raised its estimates of security costs from an >initial 7% of contracts to 10%. Blackwater, the American firm protecting >Iraq's American proconsul, Paul Bremer, says in many cases costs run to >over 25%. That's bad news for Iraqis hoping for reconstruction, but >great news for PMCs. > >The boom has led to two worries. The first is lack of regulation. >Stressed and sometimes ill-trained mercenaries operate in Iraq's mayhem >with apparent impunity, erecting checkpoints without authorisation, and >claiming powers to detain and confiscate identity cards. A South African >company guarding a Baghdad hotel put guns to the heads of this >correspondent's guests. According to the CPA, non-Iraqi private-security >personnel contracted to the coalition or its partners are not subject to >Iraqi law. Even the industry is concerned. Regulation is vital, says >ArmorGroup's Christopher Beese, if Iraq is not to descend into the law >of the jungle. > >Second, the boom may be eroding Britain's defences. Just when the war on >terror is stretching the SAS to the limit, the rising profitability of >private sector work is tempting unprecedented numbers of its men to >leave. An SAS veteran estimates that some 40 of its 300 corps requested >early release from their contracts last year. Another guesses that there >are more ex-SAS people in Iraq than there are currently serving in the >regiment. Head-hunters poaching military talent, say critics, risk >turning the army's elite corps into little more than a training school >for PMCs. > _________________________________________________________________ FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar get it now! http://toolbar.msn.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/

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Jackbooted thugs, mercs and non-gov paramilitaries
by Gabriel Rocha 31 Mar '04

31 Mar '04

I don't normally forward articles, but this one might be of interest to some here. I especially like the part where these guys are exempt from the legal system... http://www.economist.com/world/europe/PrinterFriendly.cfm?Story_ID=2539816 British companies have been grousing about losing out to the Americans in Iraq. But in one area, British companies excel: security THE sight of a mob of Iraqi stone-throwers attacking the gates to the Basra palace where the coalition has its southern headquarters is no surprise. What's odd is the identity of the uniformed men holding them off. The single Briton prodding his six Fijians to stand their ground are not British army soldiers but employees of Global Risk Strategies, a London-based security company. Private military companies (PMCs).mercenaries, in oldspeak.manning the occupation administration's front lines are now the third-largest contributor to the war effort after the United States and Britain. British ones are popular, largely because of the reputation of the Special Air Service (SAS) regiment whose ex-employees run and man many of the companies. They maintain they have twice as many men on the ground as their American counterparts. According to David Claridge, managing director of Janusian, a London-based security firm, Iraq has boosted British military companies' revenues from #200m ($320m) before the war to over #1 billion, making security by far Britain's most lucrative post-war export to Iraq. It's a lucrative business. A four-man ex-SAS team in Baghdad can cost $5,000 a day. Buoyed by their earnings, the comrades-in-arms live in the plushest villas in the plushest quarters of Baghdad. Their crew-cut occupants compare personal automatics, restock the bars and refill the floodlit pools of the former Baathist chiefs. Established companies have expanded; new ones have sprung up. Control Risks, a consultancy, now provides armed escorts. It has 500 men guarding British civil servants. Global Risk Strategies was a two-man team until the invasion of Afghanistan. Now it has over 1,000 guards in Iraq.more than many of the countries taking part in the occupation.manning the barricades of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). Last year it also won a $27m contract to distribute Iraq's new dinar. Erinys, another British firm, was founded by Alastair Morrisson, an ex-SAS officer who emerged from semi-retirement to win a contract with Jordanian and Iraqi partners to protect Iraq's oil installations. CPA officials say the contract is worth over $100m. Erinys now commands a 14,000-strong armed force in Iraq. In industry jargon, these companies' manpower is split into Iraqis, .third-country nationals. (Gurkhas and Fijians) and .internationals. (usually white first-worlders). Iraqis get $150 a month, .third-country nationals. 10-20 times as much, and .internationals. 100 times as much. Control Risks still relies on westerners, but ArmorGroup, a British rival, employs 700 Gurkhas to shepherd America's primary contractors in Iraq, Bechtel and KBR. Erinys's corps of pipeline protectors is overwhelmingly Iraqi. The cheapness of the other ranks, compared with western soldiers, is one reason why PMCs are flourishing. .Why pay for a British platoon to guard a base, when you can hire Gurkhas at a fraction of the cost?. asks one. Nobody knows how long government contracts will last after the CPA dissolves on June 30th. But multi-billion World Bank and UN reconstruction funds should provide rich pickings. Amid rising violence, the Program Management Office, which handles America's $18.6 billion aid budget for Iraq, has raised its estimates of security costs from an initial 7% of contracts to 10%. Blackwater, the American firm protecting Iraq's American proconsul, Paul Bremer, says in many cases costs run to over 25%. That's bad news for Iraqis hoping for reconstruction, but great news for PMCs. The boom has led to two worries. The first is lack of regulation. Stressed and sometimes ill-trained mercenaries operate in Iraq's mayhem with apparent impunity, erecting checkpoints without authorisation, and claiming powers to detain and confiscate identity cards. A South African company guarding a Baghdad hotel put guns to the heads of this correspondent's guests. According to the CPA, non-Iraqi private-security personnel contracted to the coalition or its partners are not subject to Iraqi law. Even the industry is concerned. Regulation is vital, says ArmorGroup's Christopher Beese, if Iraq is not to descend into the law of the jungle. Second, the boom may be eroding Britain's defences. Just when the war on terror is stretching the SAS to the limit, the rising profitability of private sector work is tempting unprecedented numbers of its men to leave. An SAS veteran estimates that some 40 of its 300 corps requested early release from their contracts last year. Another guesses that there are more ex-SAS people in Iraq than there are currently serving in the regiment. Head-hunters poaching military talent, say critics, risk turning the army's elite corps into little more than a training school for PMCs.

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