Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) - Softcover

P.W. Singer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0801489156 ISBN 13: 9780801489150

Publisher: Cornell University Press, 2004

Synopsis

Some have claimed that'War is too important to be left to the generals,'but P. W. Singer asks'What about the business executives?'Breaking out of the guns-for-hire mold of traditional mercenaries, corporations now sell skills and services that until recently only state militaries possessed. Their products range from trained commando teams to strategic advice from generals.

This new'Privatized Military Industry'encompasses hundreds of companies, thousands of employees, and billions of dollars in revenue. Whether as proxies or suppliers, such firms have participated in wars in Africa, Asia, the Balkans, and Latin America. More recently, they have become a key element in U.S. military operations. Private corporations working for profit now sway the course of national and international conflict, but the consequences have been little explored.

In this book, Singer provides the first account of the military services industry and its broader implications. Corporate Warriors includes a description of how the business works, as well as portraits of each of the basic types of companies: military providers that offer troops for tactical operations; military consultants that supply expert advice and training; and military support companies that sell logistics, intelligence, and engineering.

The privatization of warfare allows startling new capabilities and efficiencies in the ways that war is carried out. At the same time, however, Singer finds that the entrance of the profit motive onto the battlefield raises a series of troubling questions'for democracy, for ethics, for management, for human rights, and for national security.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"After reading this book, it is impossible to see the landscape of insurgencies, civil wars, and inter-state wars the same way again. Peter Singer's book is a rare find: a study of the breakdown of the state monopoly on war that challenges basic assumptions in international relations theory; an exploration of the many different ways in which privatized military firms pose both problems and opportunities for policymakers; and a fascinating read for anyone interested in the changing nature of both international security and international politics."--Anne-Marie Slaughter, Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University

"A must read for anyone interested in the art of war, Corporate Warriors is a fascinating analysis of a new, often secretive, global industry. Marked by impressive research, this path-breaking study describes a pattern of increasing reliance on private military firms by individuals, corporations, humanitarian groups, governments, and international organizations. This is a masterful book that will appeal to students, scholars, policymakers, and lay readers alike."--Stephanie G. Neuman, Director of the Comparative Defense Studies Program, Columbia University

About the Author:

P. W. Singer is National Security Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution and Director of the Brookings Project on U.S. Policy towards the Islamic World. He has served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the International Peace Academy. Singer has been featured in the Atlantic Monthly, the Boston Globe, the Financial Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the New York Times. He has also appeared as an expert commentator on ABC, BBC, CBS, CNN, the Discovery Channel, FOX, NBC, and NPR (including a feature interview on Fresh Air).

About this edition

• Publisher: Cornell University Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0801489156
• ISBN 13: 9780801489150
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352