Outsourcing Security: Private Military Contractors and U.S. Foreign Policy – Book Review

Outsourcing Security: Private Military Contractors and U.S. Foreign Policy.  Bruce E. Stanley.  Potomac Books.  238 pages.  Soft cover. $25.00 There are many books published that are simply not intended for the mass market.  These volumes are crafted by authors to be read by a particular readership. When that book also fills a gap in scholarship for that select group of readers then you have a special volume.  This is the case with Bruce Stanley’s outstanding book, Outsourcing Security: Private Military Contractors and U.S. Foreign Policy.   It unquestionably fills an existing niche and greatly adds to the body of knowledge in this area. As the title clearly suggests, Stanley’s focus is on the use of private military contractors (PMCs) by the United States.  Certainly, this is a subject area which can generate some highly emotional debate.  However, the author stays clear of the moral and legal aspects of their use.  Instead, Stanley examines the rise in the use of PMCs by the United States in the past 25 years.  Just as...