Book Description
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.
Customer Reviews:
An Academic Review of the topic...........2007-09-27
This book provides an academic view of the topic (i.e., dry and sterile). Coming from an academic press (Cornell) and an academic, however, this not a surprise. The author starts with a history of the private sector in warfare during the medieval ages up to the current period, with emphasis on trend towards increasing state control (i.e., de-privitization) over time with increasing re-privatization. The later is in regard particularly to the U.S. and its overstretched (probably temporarily) forces. This is, in the author's opinion, is cause of large increase in recent expansion of privitization in the U.S. The author then discusses various aspects, mostly negative, regarding this privitization (i.e., legal status of private "troops", reliability in case of large scale combat and increase of the danger they face, etc.).
The book has two weaknesses. The first is that it does not cover the benefits of this privitazation in sufficient detail. Especially financial savings and, more importantly, the private sector filling the void in Iraq due to lack of long-term permanent U.S. public sector troops. The author needs to address the question of how else the U.S. would be able to cope without this strategy (i.e., draft?). No discussion here. Also, some perspective on other nations' attempts at privitization would be useful for purposes of perspective and comparison with U.S. How much are they privitizing vis-a-vis the U.S. and how has it affected their combat effectiveness/cost of operations. For these reasons the book receives four stars instead of five. Nevertheless, provides a good primer on the subject. Especially considering the fact that most other books have been written by journalists from a sensationalist point of view.
Excellent book........2007-07-15
Singer's research is flawless. His writing is well organized and incisive with very astute observations. He approaches the subject with an objective understanding(he uses the term "mercenary" sparingly and only to describe actual mercenaries) of how this newly formed industry is organized and how it will affect our (United States) ability to implement foreign policy. His tip of the spear taxonomy explains the industry better than any other I have read in my own research on the topic. This book has set a great standard for academic writings on PMFs and will survive as reference source for many years to come.
Not an academic review.......2007-01-15
Corporate Warriors was in general a very boring book. Yes it was acurate and informative but was very dry. Singer seemed too biased against PMCs. I was also dissapointed to find out Singer has never been to Iraq himself to see PMCs at work there. When one writes a book with bias and with such depth I would like for them to have immersed themselves in the topic rather than write an academic report on PMCs. Sorry for the negative attitude but was dissapointed by the book.
A Solid General Guide to PMCs and PSCs, But..........2006-12-12
The title of this work is misleading. Singer has written an excellent guide to the recent history of PMCs (private military companies, such as Tim Spicer's Sandline) and PSCs (such as Blackwater), but has failed to distinguish between the two in a way made concrete for the uninformed reader. The result is that the fine line between hunting down Angolan rebels and guarding glorified haircuts like Paul Bremer has been blurred.
Sometimes this line is difficult to distinguish, but it is there. The fact that many of the PSC firms themselves sport members of past PMCs (many a South African and Rhodesian is back in action) has further blurred the situation, but you can be assured that their mandate is different. While the PSCs currently operating in Iraq and Afghanistan do their fair share of enemy engagement, they do so from a position of defense rather than from a position of offense. They are playing primarily a security role. They are not, by and large, performing paramilitary tasks at the bequest of dictators, corporations, or the State Department.
The author understands the difference, and does indeed attempt to make the distinction, the title itself tends to muddle the roles.
A must read!.......2006-10-10
A must read for anyone interested in the private security industry and the new future of war!
I served in the Kosovo region and the information about that region was 100% accurate. The US militray can no longer function without the assistance of private contractors and thier vast companies.
Cpl Dombrowski
578th Engineer BN
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Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry.(Book Review): An article from: Air & Space Power Journal
John H. Barnhill
Manufacturer: U.S. Air Force
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ASIN: B00082IGHO
Release Date: 2005-07-31 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Air & Space Power Journal, published by U.S. Air Force on March 22, 2004. The length of the article is 424 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry.(Book Review)
Author: John H. Barnhill
Publication:
Air & Space Power Journal (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2004
Publisher: U.S. Air Force
Volume: 18
Issue: 1
Page: 120(1)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Military Review, published by U.S. Army CGSC on May 1, 2005. The length of the article is 463 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry.(review)(Book Review)
Author: Suzanne C. Nielsen
Publication:
Military Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2005
Publisher: U.S. Army CGSC
Volume: 85
Issue: 3
Page: 103(1)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Customer Reviews:
Jam-packed with great information!.......2001-11-14
You can spend five minutes or five hours at a sitting with this gem. Even a casual browse through a few pages will teach you something you didn't know about Vikings. A must for anybody studying Norse culture, and a valuable addition to their collections.
Avert Your Eyes Europhobes........2001-10-29
-
A cultural atlas presents its readers with a tremendous amount of information. Even a casual browsing through this work reveals enough information to provide the seeker of knowledge with a firm grasp on the history, geography, and culture of the efficient, effective "Warriors of the North" known as Vikings or Northmen.
This atlas explains and defines the Viking Age, beginning in the 8th century and ending in the 11th century with the creation of the Scandinavian nations of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland. These tall, blonde, blue-eyed Vikings also left their mark on lands from North America, across Europe into Russia -- which was named for the Rus, a Swedish tribe -- and into the Byzantine Empire of Asia Minor and beyond. The Vikings endowed the Europeans who followed them with the Viking genes for bravery, impudence, physical beauty, and intelligence, genes which Viking warriors spread widely in the Northern Hemisphere.
The compilers of this work, edited by James Graham-Campbell, present the reader with a plethora of charts, maps, and captioned photographs illustrating and enriching cogent expository text.
Everyone on the planet, ... will recognize this book as a valuable tool in the study of a great European people.
A great resource for the big picture.......1997-07-10
I love this book. It has lots of maps and illustrations. Best of all it covers the entire gamut of the Viking universe. It is a wonderful resource for getting your head around the big picture of the Viking age. I have researched Viking Age history for years now and this is one of the BEST books I have ever found
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Scandinavian Studies, published by Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study on March 22, 1996. The length of the article is 972 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Cultural Atlas of the Viking World. (book reviews)
Author: Leonid S. Chekin
Publication:
Scandinavian Studies (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1996
Publisher: Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
Volume: v68
Issue: n2
Page: p263(3)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Amazon.com
What's going on in there? If you want to get the latest in neural and behavioral science, there's no better place to turn than The Scientific American Book of the Brain. Thirty-two heavyweight researchers and science writers contribute thoughtful, often eloquent reviews of their own and others' neuroscience research, aiming to help the intelligent reader quickly grasp the current state of knowledge. Reading Elizabeth Loftus on false memories, Kay Redfield Jamison on manic-depressive illness, and Michael Gazzaniga on recent split-brain research is like attending a series of impressively cogent and engaging lectures, without any note-passing undergraduates to distract you. The articles are mostly from 1998, though a few go as far back as 1991; each represents the best, most current writing on its topic. Of particular interest to those who love a good debate are the side-by-side articles on the biological basis of homosexuality and the inclusion of consciousness within the domain of neurobiology by careful writers on opposing sides of each issue--it's a pleasant reminder that not all arguments need end in nationally televised fistfights. You may want to use The Scientific American Book of the Brain as a reference, but you'll find that the writing is so engrossing that minutes or hours will pass by inefficiently while you browse and take in the world of the brain as we know it. --Rob Lightner
Book Description
Arguably one of the most compelling and elusive territories of scientific research is the landscape of the human brain. From current research on the genetics of intelligence to new evidence being discovered in the battle against Parkinson's disease, the implications of the study of the human brain, and the equally fascinating human mind, are immense.
The Scientific American Book of the Brain presents twenty-six cutting-edge articles on current brain research, by some of the biggest names working in the field: Is it true that most creative geniuses are plagued by a kind of madness? Kay Redfield Jamison reveals the link between creativity and mood disorders; are the brains of men and women equal in their capacity to learn and excel at cognitive tasks? Doreen Kimura puts forward scientific evidence that suggests men and women not only differ physically but also use different approaches to solve intellectual problems; how reliable is the human mind when it comes to memory? Elizabeth F. Loftus exposes how imagination and the power of suggestion can create "memories" of events that did not actually occur; why are certain children plagued by Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and what is the solution for such children? Russell A. Barkley posits that ADHD may arise when key brain circuits don't develop properly, perhaps because of an altered gene or genes.
Introduced by Antonio R. Damasio and including chapters on mapping the brain; reasoning and intelligence; memory and learning; behavior; disease of the brain and disorder of the mind; and consciousness, The Scientific American Book of the Brain is a stimulating examination of today's most important and often controversial topics in brain research.
Customer Reviews:
The Brain: A Great Collection of Readings.......2002-04-08
This collection of articles from Sceintific American about the human brain is fascinating to read, covering a range of topics, from Alzhiemers to sexuality to learning to mental disorders in a format that is provocative and timely. Although this book cover the biology of the human brain and how it affects the psychology of the human being, it rarely descends into too much technical jargon. Since we learn as much biology and neurology in this book as much as psychology, it is bound to surprise people how much about the human brain we do know --and how much more we have to learn. This is a book describing the not just how the brain operates, but how it operates in certain situations. This makes our learning both concerete and fascinating. We learn about genes and the brain, about memory and depression, about sexual identity and sexual selection, all in a format that is as gripping as it is well written. It is book that will enrich your brain with information about how it works. Can you be without that kind of information? I dare say this is a book any serious student of human behavior will want to have. It is a great collection of articles.
A Book Worthy Of Your Consideration.......2000-11-05
Let us be fair to this book. It is the reprint of 28 articles from Scientific American that spanned the seven years prior to the publication of this book. The magazine is not designed to publish ground breaking research for the accomplished person in that specific field. True to its tradition, it makes subjects accessible to the generalist that may not other wise be read or found. Many of us by reading Scientific American, have had important new areas opened up to further study. Decades ago its article on smoking and cancer was an important public service. These articles on the brain, consciousness, intelligence, mind, memory and learning could help you find other avenues of further reading. As always, Scientific American makes it readable enough that you are not entirely lost in specialized vocabulary. Research on the brain is moving so fast that we will all want to know much more very soon. This is not the owner's manual for the brain it is a place to begin for the non-technical person.
Lacking originality.......2000-01-14
There are a number of excellent and pioneering books on the brain. In my opinion, this is not one of them. If it is up to date, original, pioneering, and thought provoking material the reader is searching for, I would advise that they look elsewhere.
Average customer rating:
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Mountain splendor: This is my Father's world
W. Phillip Keller
Manufacturer: F. H. Revell Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Alpine
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ASIN: 0800709616 |
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Ocean glory: This is my father's world
W. Phillip Keller
Manufacturer: F. H. Revell Co
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Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: 0800711041 |
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This Is My Father's World
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press Inc, USA
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Binding: Sheet music
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ASIN: 0193869888 |
Books:
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- El Arte de la Guerra: de la Sabiduria Oriental a la Excelencia Occidental
- Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World: From Marathon to Waterloo
- Great Siege: Malta 1565 (Wordsworth Military Library.)
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Contract Warriors
