A privatização da guerra e as relações anglo-americanas: o papel das empresas militares privadas no fortalecimento do mercado de defesa britânico durante a Guerra do Iraque (2003–2011)

Abstract

This study analyzes the role of British private military companies (PMCs) in boosting the United Kingdom’s defense market during the Iraq War (2003–2011). It adopts the method of explanatory process tracing oriented toward the outcome, focusing on identifying the causal mechanism that links PMC operations, the strengthening of the strategic relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, the conclusion of billion-dollar contracts with British companies, and, finally, the economic and structural impact on the British defense market. The case study focuses on the contracts signed by Aegis Defence Services and BAE Systems with the United States, identified respectively as the main British PMC contracted by the U.S. government and the defense company that benefited most from the conflict. Both significantly expanded their profits and internationalization processes during the period analyzed, boosting arms exports and the productive capacity of the UK’s defense sector. The activities carried out by these companies during the war reinforced the Anglo-American special relationship, creating favorable conditions for the conclusion of strategic contracts and the internationalization of the British defense market, notably its expansion into the United States. It is concluded that the connections between Aegis and BAE Systems, mediated by Washington, strengthened and expanded the British defense market between 2003 and 2011, highlighting how the articulation between private actors and public policies can shape the dynamics of the defense sector in contexts of privatized warfare.