Description: A multinational team of scholars and experts address the issue of controlling the use of privatized forces by states. They address the role of contract employees, their acceptance by military personnel, and possible tensions between them.
Brief description: Ryan Kelty is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology at Washington College. Prior to that, he served as Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership at the United States Military Academy, and was an Instructor and Research Associate at the Center for Research on Military Organization at the University of Maryland.
Review Quotes:
"[P]rovides a rich, coherent, detailed, multifaceted and multi-level investigation of the pressing problem of PMSCs control.... [I]t should be recommended." --Defence Studies
"With its geographic range and convincing arguments, this work is impressive and highly relevant. The contributors collectively establish the importance of private military contractors, with ongoing concerns about the ability of states to maintain control. I recommend this authoritative book to both academic and general audiences." --Patrick James, University of Southern California "This book provides a uniquely synthesized and highly informed analysis of the multifaceted challenges related to the evolution and control of PMSCs--one of the most pivotal phenomena affecting defence and security in this era. An authoritative source and truly insightful!" --Irina Goldenberg, Secretary General of ERGOMAS (European Research Group on Military and Society) "Even as we struggle to understand the range of issues created by Private Military and Security Companies, political and economic realities ensure they will be present in almost every modern conflict. This volume will help policy makers, academics, and practitioners come to grips with the key issues." --T. X. Hammes, distinguished research fellow, NDU "This is a masterful and much-needed fresh look at the thorniest real-world issues associated with private military and security contractors. The authors take a global perspective, and their analysis is superbly sourced and even-handed. This is very obviously a "must have" for any serious defense analyst or policymaker in government, industry, or academia." --Charles J. Dunlap Jr., Maj Gen, USAF (Ret.), executive director, Center on Law, Ethics and National Security, Duke University School of Law