Macheath

I'm in two minds about this idea that you "just shouldn't be there".

On the one hand, I see Iraq as being politically sensitive and personally do not favour the war. On the other hand if I completed my studies and saw the chance for solid career advancement by going to a place that was "less safe" than Sydney, Australia; I'd be tempted. If I was given a chance to go to Indonesia or Papua New Guinea - places "more safe" than Iraq but "less safe" than Australia - I'd probably take it. If you give me a good enough reason to be somewhere, I'm going to have to seriously consider the offer.

Seriously, what happened to Eugene Armstrong chills me because I can kind of relate to him - travelled around the world working until he settled in Thailand before finally going to Iraq. It seemed like a damn cool life until these goddam asshead phsychopaths took matters into their own hands.

Of course I'll confess, there's another way of describing third world "contracting" work that makes it sound much more reckless and immature than mere "career advancement":

I suppose living in this big world just comes down to a matter of calculated risk.