Mercenaries, Hybrid Armies and National Security: Private Soldiers and the State in the 21st Century, Varin, Caroline. Published by Routledge, 2020. Softcover. 8vo up to 9½” tall., 188pp. Contents in fine, unread condition; very light shelf wear to covers. Book 3 of 10: LSE International Studies Series.
Governments, especially in the West, are undertaking an unprecedented wave of demilitarisation and military budget cuts. Simultaneously, these same governments are increasingly opening their armies up to foreign nationals and outsourcing military operations to private companies. This book explores the impact of this hybridisation on the values, cohesion and effectiveness of the armed forces by comparing and contrasting the experiences of the French Foreign Legion, private military companies in Angola, and the merging of private contractors and American troops in Iraq.
