Product Description

The main aim of this book is to argue that the use of private force by states has been restricted by a norm against mercenary use. The book traces the evolution of this norm, from mercenaries in medieval Europe through to private security companies in modern day Iraq, telling a story about how the mercenaries of yesterday have evolved into those of today in the process. The norm against mercenaries has two components. First, mercenaries are considered to be immoral because they use force outside legitimate, authoritative control. Second, mercenaries are considered to be morally problematic because they fight wars for selfish, financial reasons as opposed to fighting for some kind of larger conception of the common good. The book examines four puzzles about mercenary use, and argues that they can only be explained by understanding the norm against mercenaries. First, the book argues that moral disapproval of mercenaries led to the disappearance of independent mercenaries from medieval Europe. Second, the transition from armies composed of mercenaries to citizen armies in the nineteenth century can only be understood with attention to the norm against mercenaries. Third, it is impossible to understand why international law regarding mercenaries, created in the 1970s and 1980s, is so ineffective without understanding the norm. Finally, the disappearance of companies like Executive Outcomes and Sandline and the development of today's private security industry cannot be understood without the norm. This book is a project of the Oxford Leverhulme Programme on the Changing Character of War.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #588397 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Customer Reviews

Well-researched, timely book
Turn on the TV or radio these days and there's frequently a mention of Blackwater and private military companies gone awry in Iraq. What's behind all these headlines?

Private security companies aren't new, argues Dr. Percy, and to fully understand the present situation, we've got to learn from history. In a well-researched book, full of archival material and compelling stories from previous wars on several continents, Dr. Percy's book is a must-read for academics, political leaders and war experts alike.

In addition to a historical grounding, the book includes dozens of interviews with current policymakers and private security officials addressing today's concerns. At core, the book's argument is that it's just as important to understand what states and other actors THINK about private security firms as what the firms actually do. Perceptions matter, and to make sense of a confusing topic, Dr. Percy's book is a necessary guide.

Never ceases to amaze...
... how someone can write what is supposedly an authoritative piece of research without having talked with those directly involved. Yet another book by an academic who has taken the easy route of using (inaccurate) public domain material rather than bothering to conduct original research.