Big Boy Rules: Accounts of US Security Contractors in Iraq

Big Boy Rules is a journalistic text by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Steve Fainaru. The work details the experiences of US security contractors, or mercenaries, operating in Iraq, based on the author's travels with several groups. It provides a qualitative look at the motivations and lives of an estimated 100,000 armed contractors working outside the formal military structure.

Use Cases

• Conduct qualitative content analysis based on the reported narratives and experiences of contractors.
• Study media framing and terminology around private military forces based on the descriptions of 'security contractors' versus 'mercs'.
• Analyze themes of motivation and psychology in conflict zones based on the profiles of individuals described.
• Research policy implications of military outsourcing based on the reported scale and roles of contractors.

Strengths

• Authored by a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, suggesting a level of journalistic rigor.
• Based on first-hand reporting from travels with multiple contractor groups in Iraq.
• Provides qualitative insight into a population estimated at nearly 100,000 individuals.

Limitations

• The underlying data format, column structure, and sample size are unknown.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Steve Fainaru

Collection Method

First-hand journalistic reporting and travel with security contractor groups in Iraq.

Geography

Iraq