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epersonae's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. Depressing and astonishing. The stories of individual mercenary disasters are actually pretty heartbreaking, even if you think the guys are jerks for getting into it. Prince, on the other hand -- the founder of Blackwater -- gives me the heebie-jeebies. And the guys in DC who were all gung-ho to outsource the military: I got nothing good to say, at all.
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
herlifewithbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Completely not up my alley, a little dense for audio, and a bit repetitive. But thought-provoking, certainly, in a horrifying "Oh my God, these people have been/are in power now" kind of way.
kavinay's review against another edition
5.0
You go into the book thinking Erik Prince is Darth Vader.
He's not. He's more akin to Director Krennic: a manipulator of corrupt institutions that simply don't value life.
The real shock of Scahill's excellent coverage is just how banal the evil of the mercenary business is. Much like imperialist and colonial military dogma, the expansion of the private security contractors--mercenaries--boils down to exploitation and indifference. Exploitation of government policy to procure highly suspect security contracts and indifference towards the lives of the foreign populations affected by private militaries that are not beholden to account for war crimes.
He's not. He's more akin to Director Krennic: a manipulator of corrupt institutions that simply don't value life.
The real shock of Scahill's excellent coverage is just how banal the evil of the mercenary business is. Much like imperialist and colonial military dogma, the expansion of the private security contractors--mercenaries--boils down to exploitation and indifference. Exploitation of government policy to procure highly suspect security contracts and indifference towards the lives of the foreign populations affected by private militaries that are not beholden to account for war crimes.
mau_reeny's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted more from this book. It's well-written, well-researched, and interesting but left me wanting. I wanted less bias. The author spends a lot of time criticizing right-wing politics in the US and while I'm generally wary of such ideology, heavy-handed references to "conquest" (as an example) distracted from more important points.
I also wish the book had dove deeper into the applicability, or lack thereof, of international law on private security. That is such an important consequence of the privatization of security that was barely touched on.
Lastly, the book is outdated. Obviously this isn't the author's fault, it's mine for only reading the book several years after its publication, but it is worth mentioning since major Blackwater-related events have since transpired, including the Nisour Square incident and the subsequent trial and conviction of the contractors involved and of course the selling of the firm, its re-branding to "Academi," and its merger with formal rival Triple Canopy.
Overall, it's a decent introduction to one particular company but still a small slice of the fascinating pie that is private security.
I also wish the book had dove deeper into the applicability, or lack thereof, of international law on private security. That is such an important consequence of the privatization of security that was barely touched on.
Lastly, the book is outdated. Obviously this isn't the author's fault, it's mine for only reading the book several years after its publication, but it is worth mentioning since major Blackwater-related events have since transpired, including the Nisour Square incident and the subsequent trial and conviction of the contractors involved and of course the selling of the firm, its re-branding to "Academi," and its merger with formal rival Triple Canopy.
Overall, it's a decent introduction to one particular company but still a small slice of the fascinating pie that is private security.