Spicerworld

Here's an article by Naomi Klein looking at how the US State Department has been misappropriating funds that should have been used to help reconstruct Iraq. The article mentions Tim Spicer and his company, Aegis. The current issue (#1109) of Private Eye clarifies his role in Papua New Guinea:

"Astonishingly, Aegis was not even on the...state department's list of recommended security companies in Iraq- the company has only been in existence for a year or so. Even more surprisingly, the company's chief executive is former British army officer turned soldier of fortune, Tim Spicer.

Spicer is best known for his role in the Sandline affair, when a company he founded shipped 30 tons of arms to Sierra Leone in contravention of a UN arms embargo.
Spicer later told the press that the British government had encouraged his operation.

The Pentagon must be hoping there isn't a re-run of the farcical situation in 1997 when Spicer received a $36m contract from the government of Papua New Guinea to put down an insurgency.

Unfortunately for both the government and Spicer, the PNG army was so furious to learn that "the Colonel" was filling his pockets while ordinary soldiers couldn't fill their bellies that it- rather than the rebels- toppled the government and slapped Spicer in jail".