South Africa's role in the private military industry in the post-Cold War conflict environment with specific reference to the South African connection to Erinys International

Abstract

Since 1652, South Africa has played a prominent role in the Private Military Industry. Following the end of the Cold War, companies such as Executive Outcomes have continued to exert influence in the global security arena, and since 9/11 and the so-called Global War on Terror (GWOT), South Africans have remained part of the private security environment. Particularly through Erinys, although not limited to this company, South Africans have contributed to this rising phenomenon in Iraq and elsewhere, and this article attempts to document the history and operations of this company in Iraq against the global background – both synchronically and diachronically – from a South African point of view.