Since the end of the Cold War, the cessation of military blocs, and the division of spheres of interest, but most of all, after September 11, the private military business has developed in unexpected ways and brought in gigantic profits. Despite the fact that private military companies ( PMCs) are openly present in the foreign exchange markets and carry out orders from governments of various countries; they remain surrounded by a veil of secrecy. However, PMCs operate on every continent and in every place on the planet where crises arise - called upon by governments, intelligence agencies, private industry, military dictators, drug cartels and rebel groups. The operational workforce of PMCs worldwide is estimated to be close to 1.5 million, and the industry's turnover in 2005 was 200 billion euros. Rolf Wesseler analyzes the reasons for the fantastic growth of PMCs. He examines the activities of countless companies and warns against the dangers that come with the privatization of war and military intervention: the erosion of human rights and the government's prerogative to use force, the expansion of lawless space for perpetrators of violence.