Mercenaries and Security Contractors in the 21st Century

This book examines the debate over private security contractors, using historical and contemporary cases, including several non-Western examples. Since the end of the Cold War, security privatization has grown in its geographical outreach, breadth, and scope. This pervasive expansion of the private military and security market warrants a systematic investigation of commercial actors’ involvement in the variety of tasks associated with the provision of violence, ranging from combat to vessel prot