Suchergebnisse

Ever since the French Revolution and the rise of national armies, the mercenary has been viewed as a maligned and marginalized actor in international relations. 'The Mercenary' challenges this view, suggesting instead that while delegated to the periphery of Great Power politics, the mercenary remained a coercive instrument of state power who was willing to discretely promote the client's foreign policy when called upon to do so. Never has this been more evident than today. This book offers fresh insight into the future of the mercenary as an instrument of state coercion and explains why there is a mercenary renaissance in the 21st century.

Examines the nature and operations of a mercenary organization operating in Africa, which acts as a "corporate troubleshooter" for legitimate governments, focusing on activities in Sierra Leone, 1995-96. Reprinted and adapted from London Review of Books, 1996.

Examines use of mercenary armies by transnational corporations and national governments to protect private wealth in developing countries where profits are threatened by protest, and support given by the US and world financial institutions. Some focus on Executive Outcomes (EO) in Sierra Leone.

Peace through profit motive? -- Understanding the private military industry -- A codependency problem -- How did we get here? -- Why private armies have returned -- The murky side of private force -- The modern world order: a brief history -- Neomedievalism -- Neomedieval warfare -- Military enterprisers in Liberia: building better armies -- Mercenaries in Somalia: a neomedieval tale -- Medieval modernity

Zur Erklärung, warum Söldnerarmeen im 19. Jh. durch Bürgerarmeen (Berufsarmee oder Wehrpflicht) ersetzt wurden, reichen die bekannten Ansätze nicht aus. An den Beispielen Preussen, Frankreich und Vereinigtes Königreich wird gezeigt, dass nicht nur funktionale (höherer Kampfwert, etc.) und soziale bzw. politische Faktoren (Aufklärung, Revolution) zu einer Veränderung des Wehrsystems geführt haben. Anstoss waren auch externe Schocks wie z.B. militärische Niederlagen oder die Auflösung von Koalitionen. Aus dieser Wechselwirkung von internationalen und nationalen Prozessen können Rückschlüsse auf die Bestimmungsfaktoren der internationalen Politik gezogen werden (SWP-Plb)

Analyzes resurgence of professional mercenary troops, often in the form of private companies, in post-cold war internal national conflicts. Trend toward "privatization" of violence; how non-intervention by national armies is creating the disappearance of the state soldier and a growing market for mercenaries, who are becoming more acceptable with financially diversified operations.