Mercenaries Books

Book SynopsisPrivatization of America's Public Institutions describes the transformation of the military, K12 public schools, public universities and colleges, and prisons into enterprises focused on generating profits for a select few. In many cases, privatization has limited accessibility, promoted segregation, fueled declining standards, increased costs, and reduced quality.Trade Review“Kudos to Lawrence Baines for this gracefully clear, readable, and often astonishing explanation of significant connections among recent radical transformations of US military, correctional, and educational practices by means of intense corporate commercialization, often at the expense of the common good. Privatization of America’s Public Institutions offers critical understanding of complex, fundamental, and ethically troubling US cultural change to which educated citizens have too little access. It offers deep insight into what is at stake for our nation’s future in the taken-for-granted movement to privatize our most vital public institutions.” Susan Laird, Past President, American Educational Studies Association, Center for Leadership Ethics and Change“The privatization of our military, our K–12 schools, and our prisons has been going on at least since the presidency of Ronald Reagan. But how far have we gone with this privatization, and at what cost—in dollars, in measures of efficiency, and in our moral sense of ourselves? Lawrence Baines explores these questions in this excellent, organized, and impassioned book—a valuable, insightful read.” Steven P. Jones, Professor of Educational Foundations, Missouri State University; author of Blame Teachers: The Emotional Reasons for Educational ReformTable of ContentsFigures – Tables – Acknowledgments – Introduction: Public or Private? – Privatizing the Military: Profiting from the Carnage of War – Privatizing Corrections: Making Money from Misery – Privatizing K–12 Public Education: How the Profit Motive Is Changing Schools – Privatizing Public Higher Education: Selling Off the Alma Mater – American Sellout – Index.

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Book SynopsisPrivatization of America's Public Institutions describes the transformation of the military, K12 public schools, public universities and colleges, and prisons into enterprises focused on generating profits for a select few. In many cases, privatization has limited accessibility, promoted segregation, fueled declining standards, increased costs, and reduced quality.Trade Review“Kudos to Lawrence Baines for this gracefully clear, readable, and often astonishing explanation of significant connections among recent radical transformations of US military, correctional, and educational practices by means of intense corporate commercialization, often at the expense of the common good. Privatization of America’s Public Institutions offers critical understanding of complex, fundamental, and ethically troubling US cultural change to which educated citizens have too little access. It offers deep insight into what is at stake for our nation’s future in the taken-for-granted movement to privatize our most vital public institutions.” Susan Laird, Past President, American Educational Studies Association, Center for Leadership Ethics and Change“The privatization of our military, our K–12 schools, and our prisons has been going on at least since the presidency of Ronald Reagan. But how far have we gone with this privatization, and at what cost—in dollars, in measures of efficiency, and in our moral sense of ourselves? Lawrence Baines explores these questions in this excellent, organized, and impassioned book—a valuable, insightful read.” Steven P. Jones, Professor of Educational Foundations, Missouri State University; author of Blame Teachers: The Emotional Reasons for Educational ReformTable of ContentsFigures – Tables – Acknowledgments – Introduction: Public or Private? – Privatizing the Military: Profiting from the Carnage of War – Privatizing Corrections: Making Money from Misery – Privatizing K–12 Public Education: How the Profit Motive Is Changing Schools – Privatizing Public Higher Education: Selling Off the Alma Mater – American Sellout – Index.

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Book Synopsis_The Lost Samurai_ reveals the greatest untold story of Japan's legendary warrior class, which is that for almost a hundred years Japanese samurai were employed as mercenaries in the service of the kings of Siam, Cambodia, Burma, Spain and Portugal, as well as by the directors of the Dutch East India Company. The Japanese samurai were used in dramatic assault parties, as royal bodyguards, as staunch garrisons and as willing executioners. As a result, a stereotypical image of the fierce Japanese warrior developed that had a profound influence on the way they were regarded by their employers. Whilst the Southeast Asian kings tended to employ samurai on a long-term basis as palace guards, their European employers usually hired them on a temporary basis for specific campaigns. Also, whereas the Southeast Asian monarchs tended to trust their well-established units of Japanese mercenaries, the Europeans, whilst admiring them, also feared them. In every European example a progressive shift in attitude may be discerned from initial enthusiasm to great suspicion that the Japanese might one day turn against them, as illustrated by the long-standing Spanish fear of an invasion of the Philippines by Japan accompanied by a local uprising. It also suggested that if, during the 1630s, Japan had chosen engagement with Southeast Asia rather than isolation from it, the established presence of Japanese communities overseas may have had a profound influence on the subsequent development of international relations within the area, perhaps even seeing the early creation of an overseas Japanese empire that would have provided a rival to Great Britain. Instead Japan closed its doors, leaving these fierce mercenaries stranded in distant countries never to return: lost samurai indeed!

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Book SynopsisThis report examines Russia’s growing use of private military companies (PMCs) to increase its influence through irregular means. In recent years, Moscow has expanded its overseas use of PMCs to countries such as Ukraine, Syria, Libya, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Madagascar, and Mozambique. Many of the PMCs operating in these countries, such as the Wagner Group, frequently cooperate with the Russian government—including the Kremlin, Ministry of Defense (particularly the Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU), Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), and Federal Security Service (FSB)—and perform a variety of combat, paramilitary, security, and intelligence tasks. However, many of these PMCs have a poor track record—including operational failures and human rights abuses—and there are opportunities to exploit PMC vulnerabilities. Although Russian PMCs present only one of a variety of national security threats and challenges facing the United States, this report assesses that they warrant a more substantive and coordinated response from the United States and its partners.

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Book SynopsisMercenaries were a significant factor in many of the wars of the Classical world, being employed in large numbers by many states. By far the most famous were Xenophon's 'Ten Thousand', who had to cut their way out of the Persian Empire after the death of their employer and such Greek infantry were for long the most dominant type (even a Spartan king hiring himself out in one case), but there was a wide variety of mercenaries available. Some, such as Celts and Thracians were hired largely for their love of fighting, while others were valued for their specialist skills, such as Cretan archers or slingers from Rhodes or the Balearic Islands. This will be the first full-length book on the subject since 1997. It will examine the role of the mercenaries and their influence on the wars of the period down to the death of Alexander the Great, who employed them and why, and will also look at the social and economic pressures that drove tens of thousands to make a living of fighting for the highest bidder, despite the intense dangers of the ancient battlefield.

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